On the night of December 16 members of the Fivepointville Ambulance spent the night training the firefighters and ladies auxiliary of the Fivepointville Fire Company about CPR and how to use an AED.  EMS Chief 3-19 (High) approached Deputy 3-14 (Mains) about having the fire company automatically dispatched when we have a cardiac arrest call. After some discussion the fire company members agreed to purchase an AED and supplies and start running cardiac arrest calls. When a persons’ heart stops, it is a race against time to get that persons heart going again. For every minute nothing is being done the person has an estimated 10% less survival rate. With the AED and training, the fire company will now be able to start CPR and use the AED before the ambulance arrives. An AED or automatic external defibrillator is used to restart a heart that is not beating properly. We wish to thank the fire company for taking on this challenge and taking it even one. step further. The Fivepointville Fire Company bought 2 AED’s. One will be placed in Engine 3-14-1 and one is mounted in the building in case someone should have a heart attack when in or at the building. Fivepointville Fire Company joins the Terre Hill Fire Company and the Bowmansville Fire Company with having AED’s and being willing to go out on cardiac arrest calls. The Martindale Fire Company has also received AED’ s and will start running cardiac arrest calls in January of 2009. With this being done it will allow almost our entire first due area to have a fire company dispatched to assist us and start care prior to the arrival of an ambulance.