Reedsburg Ambulance shares importance of AEDs

In June, Reedsburg Area Ambulance Service took the opportunity to promote the life-saving importance of CPR and AEDs.

CPR and AED use can save people who are suffering from cardiac arrest.

Primex Plastics employee Greg Berndt shared his own story. His heart stopped in March 2010 while he was at work. Employees, who were encouraged to learn CPR, took quick action, doing chest compressions, grabbing a First Aid kit and using an AED. The AED provided verbal prompts, telling employees when to compress hard and fast. Police and an ambulance soon arrived and restarted Berndt’s heart.

“When we arrived on scene, he was not breathing and his heart was not beating,” said Reedsburg Area Ambulance Director Josh Kowalke, who praised the quick action of Primex employees. “You guys activated 911, started CPR and attached the AED. You did everything exactly the way it needed to be done. It is truly because of the early CPR and early defibrillation that was done by the employees at the plant that Greg was able to survive and survive with little to no deficits.”

Primex General Manager Blake Pace said he was proud of the employees that jumped into action that day.

“Our company purchased our AED’s and provided training just in case. The hope was they would never be needed. But this emergency proved that, even if it’s only needed once,” he said.

Pace added that many employees have worked at Primex for a long time and are like family to each other. Berndt himself had been at the company for more than 30 years.

Berndt said: “I am very thankful to everyone that they jumped into action so quickly and got help on the way as fast as they did because who knows what would have happened. Had they not been in that training, had the factory not provided this training, I may have suffered permanent damage from this event or it is very possible I would not even be here today.

“I really feel blessed that I had this outcome, to work at the place I’m at, and to have a company that cares enough for their employees to provide this training and equipment.”

According to the American Heart Association, about 90 percent of people who experience cardiac arrest die. Nearly 45 percent of witnessed cardiac arrest victims survived when a bystander performed CPR and used an AED.

Reedsburg Area Ambulance offers training every month. For more information, visit www.reedsburgambulance.com/public-classes.html or call 608-524-3074.