As spring comes, more sports are starting up, meaning the gyms and fields should ensure they have safety equipment in case of medical emergencies. Many athletic fields or gyms don’t have AED (automated external defibrillator) machines in case of emergencies.
Kelly and Kurt Anderson of ReadytoReactCPR are trying to raise money to get AED machines in public schools, parks, and other public places in the Beverly Community.
Owner Kelly Anderson said, “Our big initiative has been with the City of Beverly to get them in parks and playgrounds. We have now secured funding through city funding, through donations, and through Beverly Youth Soccer Association.”
So far, ReadyToReactCPR has purchased 17 AEDs, and they will all be installed in parks and playgrounds in Beverly by springtime.
“We officially have 4 AEDs in the community. One is in Beverly High School, one is at Innocenti Park, one is at the Cabot, and one is at the Girdler house,” Anderson said.
“We’ll continue to work with the City of Beverly to secure more funding for additional machines,” Anderson said.
There are around 38 parks and playgrounds in Beverly, and they have helped almost half of those.
They want to help other communities get AEDs for their parks, playgrounds, and public spaces as well.
It’s not just the Beverly community that needs AEDs. According to AED.com, there are a total of 8 states that don’t require AEDs in public places. Hawaii, Alaska, Delaware, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, Vermont, and Wisconsin don’t require AEDs, and Ohio only requires AED machines in schools, depending on the school district.
“Some places aren’t legally required to have them. Some places have them, and they don’t display them properly,” Anderson said.
“We visited a park in Massachusetts where you could hike and walk around, and we were wondering where their AED machine was. We asked the Ranger, and he told us it was locked away in a cabinet in the Rangers’ office,” Anderson said.
Anderson added, “Our goal is for them to be publicly accessible, but not all of them are.”
Kelly and Kurt Anderson are working towards getting AED placements in parks and playgrounds and hope they are publicly accessible to their community.
AEDs are life-saving machines. With the help of the Andersons, more will installed throughout Bevelry and, hopefully, other towns nearby.
For more information on how to apply for a grant or donate to Ready to React, please see their website: https://www.readytoreact.org/.
