CORAL SPRINGS · Following in the footsteps of Weston, commissioners approved an ordinance Monday night requiring the placement of automated external defibrillators in public venues such as restaurants, gyms and hotels.The devices deliver a shock to a person in cardiac arrest, enabling the heart to resume a more regular rhythm. According to Fire Chief Donald Haupt Jr., a heart patient's chance of recovery decreases 7 to 10 percent every minute treatment is delayed after a heart attack.
The defibrillators boost survival rates by enabling laypersons to administer care before paramedics arrive, Haupt said. The devices talk operators through the process, analyzing the patient's heart rhythm and delivering a shock only if the patient's condition merits it, Haupt said.
"It's well worth it to save someone else's life," Haupt said.
The city of Coral Springs recently installed automated external defibrillators at the Aquatic Center, the City Centre, City Hall north and south, the city garage, the city gymnasium, the public safety building and the Sartory Senior Center, he said.
"I thought it was a significant life-safety, health-welfare issue," said Commissioner Roy Gold. "I think it's very important we do this."
In Coral Springs, automated external defibrillators will be required in fitness centers, gymnasiums, indoor recreation centers larger than 1,500 square feet and assisted living facilities; restaurants with 100 or more seats, including indoor, outdoor and bar; and all hotels and motels.
The devices cost an average of $1,700 each.
Weston's ordinance is more restrictive, additionally requiring automated external defibrillators in public buildings and office buildings measuring more than 20,000 square feet, as well as commercial and retail spaces in excess of 35,000 square feet.Weston approved the measure in September.
The city of Boynton Beach recently became the first "heart ready" city in South Florida and the second statewide, as designated by the American Heart Association, because of its efforts to install the devices in municipal buildings and parks. Sallie James can be reached at sjames@sun-sentinel.com or 954-572-2019.