Occasions such as commencement and sports events bring thousands of spectators to the PE Center. Photo by John Anderson, On The Spot Photography.
PSU’s Physical Education Center has been given a new automatic electronic defibrillator (AED) through the Federal Rural AED Grant Program, run through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The AED is now available in the PE Center’s front office, just in case.
According to Peter S. Cofran, PE Center coordinator, “Both the Plymouth and Holderness fire chiefs were very supportive of our request for the AED,” adding, “As we all know, seconds count and in a best case scenario, it is probably going to be at least four minutes before EMS personnel are on the scene at the PE Center. Having the AED and the number of full-time staff as well as students who have gone through CPR classes and AED orientation, we have been able to increase our ability to serve the many people that come to the PE Center, in the event of a medical emergency.”
In his grant application, Cofran pointed out that the PE Center is the site of numerous activities for the area and the state, sometimes hosting many thousands of people at one time.
“We are fortunate to have a certified athletic training staff at some of these PSU events, but many other events have no medical coverage. The AED could be very beneficial for us at all of our events,” Cofran noted in the proposal.
Last year, AED units were provided to public safety responders. This year the criteria and priorities were business and industry.
-TR
