Crime & Safety
Fire Department Donates Defibrillators for Pools
The devices, which send an electric shock to the heart, will be distributed by the Connor Cares Foundation and are required on site at all public pools in Anne Arundel County.
Public officials were on hand Thursday morning in Annapolis as the Anne Arundel County Fire Department donated 15 old Automated External Defibrillators (AED) to the Connor Cares Foundation.
An AED is a portable device that sends an electric shock to the heart to try and restore its normal rhythm.
The donation was made in honor of new legislation, known as Connor's Law, that requires all public (and semi-private) pools to have an AED on site. County Executive John R. Leopold , who was 5 years old when he drowned in a Crofton swimming pool in 2006. The lifeguard on duty was reportedly not properly trained how to use an AED.
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Leopold and Fire Chief John Robert Ray made the presentation of the AEDs on Thursday to the foundation that honors Connor. Since its creation, the Connor Cares Foundation has donated defibrillators throughout Anne Arundel County and other areas within the region. The donated AEDs will be distributed to pools and swim clubs in the county to help them comply with the law.
According to a press release, the Connor Cares Foundation’s mission is to further the education and training of lifesaving personnel at all public/private pools; work to set minimum standards of safety to reduce drownings; and to introduce legislation to promote uniformity in lifesaving techniques and reaction times at pools.
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