WHEREAS, AED is an acronym used as an abbreviation for Automated External Defibrillator; and

WHEREAS, AEDs are portable medical devices that use electrodes to automatically analyze and detect cardiac arrhythmia of sudden cardiac arrest patients; and

WHEREAS, AEDs are able to produce a shock that stops the heart and allows it to return to a normal rhythm, a process called defibrillation; and

WHEREAS, AEDs are used in the event of a sudden cardiac arrest, which is a condition in which the heart suddenly stops pumping blood and quivers erratically; and

WHEREAS, About 360,000 cases of sudden cardiac arrest occur yearly, typically without any warning signs; and

WHEREAS, More than 7,000 children and young adults experience sudden cardiac arrest in the United States each year; and

WHEREAS, The interval between a 911 call and the arrival of emergency medical services personnel is typically longer than five minutes and achieving high survival rates therefore depends on cardiopulmonary resuscitation and AED use; and

WHEREAS, The window of opportunity for using an AED is very small. Defibrillation is more successful if performed within five minutes of the cardiac arrest. Studies show that the chances of survival decrease 7 to 10 percent with every minute that passes after the person’s heart stops beating; and

WHEREAS, Optimal AED placement allows a person to grab the AED and return to the victim; and

WHEREAS, Given that a person’s chances of surviving a sudden cardiac arrest decrease so rapidly, it is important that Californians are aware of the importance of AEDs and their life-saving potential; and

WHEREAS, The American Heart Association, the American Red Cross, and the National Safety Council prepare related public awareness and training campaigns on cardiopulmonary resuscitation and AED use, to be held during the first week in June of each year; now, therefore, be it