DAGS installs 162 new life-saving AEDs in government buildings statewide

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – The Department of Accounting and General Services announced Saturday it installed 162 new AEDs in its buildings statewide.

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DAGS said its vendor, AED Institute, helped train 920 state employees under the Hawaii Heart Foundation’s Common Sense CPR Program.

“We’re teaching them how to respond in those first few minutes that are so important because EMS and fire will never get there in time to save a life,” said Pamela Foster ceo and owner of AED Institute.

After a similar installation in Hawaii’s airports, Foster said the survival rate of sudden cardiac arrest increased from zero to more than 70%.

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DAGS said the AEDs are in about 40 multistory state buildings, with at least one per floor, with 120 units on Oahu, 21 on Hawaii Island, nine each on Maui and Kauai and three on Molokai.

DAGS Director and Acting Lt. Gov. Keith Regan said it was important that department-owned buildings have the life-saving devices.

“Every minute matters when someone goes into sudden cardiac arrest. Having an AED nearby, along with people who know how to use it, can mean the difference between life and death,” the state comptroller said.

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DAGS said the units were installed in the past seven months and cost $250,000.