It's National CPR/AED Awareness Week, which means there’s no better time to stop and reflect on the significant impact these lifesaving measures have made in our communities and perhaps in our own lives.

In 1998, Pennsylvania made great strides in advancing AED policy by passing a law (Act 126) that granted any individual who in good faith uses an AED in an emergency, a.k.a. “lay rescuer”, immunity from civil liability. Now over ten years later, Pennsylvania is in a good position to strengthen the AED Good Samaritan law and extend those same protections to businesses and persons who acquire and maintain an AED. Senator Lisa Baker introduced Senate Bill 1322, which would do just that. The bill has been referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee and we look forward to working with our volunteers to advance the bill before the end of this year.

Click here to send a message to your Pennsylvania state legislators today in support of Senate Bill 1322!

Also of note, last month, the House Education Committee heard testimony on a related bill, House Bill 1803, which would require the placement of an AED in every school entity, nonpublic and private school in each occupied building on its premises. The bill also outlines training requirements for the appropriate use of AEDs, provisions to accept donations for CPR and AED programs and establishes a pilot cardiovascular screening program for 6th graders from selected schools. The bill remains in the House Education Committee and the American Heart Association will continue to offer support to help advance the bill.

The video below tells the story of Ricky Davis, a Philadelphia man who was saved by the timely application of CPR and proper use of a publicly-available AED.


This post is part of our series on CPR/AED Awareness Week. To see all CPR/AED Awareness week posts click here.