Donated AED units installed

Members of Hall Ambulance met with City of Tehachapi officials to discuss training for city staff on the use of the five donated Automated External Defibrillators (AED) units. On June 19 Harvey Hall (Founder of Hall Ambulance) presented five AED units to the Tehachapi City Council to be used at five separate city buildings. "It's a positive feeling for me to be able to increase the number of AEDs available throughout Tehachapi that can be used in the event of sudden cardiac arrest," said Hall.

On Thursday, Aug. 17 Myron Smith and Holly Arnold from Hall Ambulance met with city staff to discuss proper placement and maintenance of the units and to coordinate staff training. The units were installed Monday, Aug. 21 in each building.

"We appreciate the generosity of Mr. Hall and hope we never have to use them, should there be a medical necessity we have Hall Ambulance to thank for possibly saving that life," said Greg Garrett Tehachapi City Manager.

The five AED units have been installed in City Hall, City Hall Annex, Tehachapi Police Department, Public Works and the Wastewater Treatment Plant.

On Saturday, Aug.26 Hall Ambulance Founder and President Harvey Hall presented two additional AEDs to Benz Visco Sports Park which annually host 125,000 youth athletes, festival attendees and spectators. The presentation was made during Opening Day Ceremonies for the Tehachapi Youth Football and Cheer and for AYSO Region 479.

The initial request for an AED came from the Tehachapi Youth Football and Cheer organization; however, after reviewing attendance statistics for the Benz Visco complex and the distances between the fields, Hall decided placing two AEDs in secure visible locations at both fields would allow for rapid accessibility in the event of a medical emergency.

The donation of these lifesaving devices marks the ninth and tenth AEDs that Hall has donated to Tehachapi including the City, the Dye Natatorium and the Senior Center.

An AED is a portable electronic device that automatically diagnoses the life-threatening cardiac arrhythmia in a patient and can shock the heart back into a healthy rhythm. "As the 911 paramedic provider serving 88% of Kern County's population, we have witnessed firsthand the difference early CPR and defibrillation by an AED can make," said Hall. The company has provided emergency medical transportation service to Tehachapi since October, 1979 and has two stations in Tehachapi and a third in Golden Hills.