Bill Wood, Preparedness Coordinator
william.wood@dos.nh.gov
(603) 271-2661 x 230; Toll-Free within NH (888) 827-5367

The New Hampshire Bureau of Emergency Medical Services (NHBEMS) is active in a variety of programs that support the use of Automated External Defibrillators (AED) in the towns and cities of New Hampshire. These AED machines are known to significantly improve the chance of survival in a patient experiencing a cardiac arrest. Therefore, one of many goals of NHBEMS is to increase accessibility to these machines in all sections of the state, especially the more rural areas where response times for EMS can be extended.

In 2002, NHBEMS applied for and received its first "Rural Access to Emergency Medical Devices" grant from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Federal Office of Rural Health Policy. This grant allowed the Bureau to purchase 135 AEDs. Working in partnership with the five EMS Regional Councils, the North Country Health Consortium and the State Office of Rural Health, NHBEMS was able to distribute these machines, per the federal criteria, to many rural communities statewide. During the grant period 2002-2003, 128 AEDs were placed.  Additionally, during 2003-2004, 213 units were placed bringing the total to 348 AEDs placed. NHBEMS has been successful in securing federal funds for the 2004-2005 project year, and its community partnerships remain strong.

In discussion about AED and public access defibrillation (PAD) programs, questions are raised about liability and the laws surrounding the use of AEDs. In July 2002, the legislature of New Hampshire passed laws regarding the intent, definitions, training, limited liability and an AED Registry . The individual laws may be reviewed via the link above. The AED Registry is a collaborative effort between the purchaser of an AED which will be located in a fixed location (other than a private home), the defibrillator manufacturers, the Enhanced 911 system, and the NHBEMS. This registry creates a link between a phone number and an AED located close to that phone.  When the 911 Telecommunicator receives an emergency call from the assigned number, the screen will prompt them to tell the caller about the location of the AED if the emergency is a potential cardiac arrest. NHBEMS is receiving more and more of these registration forms from AED owners each month. If you know of locations that have public access defibrillators, please pass the word along about the legislated "AED Registry" in order to assist with enhancing patient survivability. Another step that NHBEMS has incorporated into the grants "Memorandum of Understanding" with each recipient of an AED is an "Incident Report Form" . This form is required to be completed after each patient event in which the AED is used. This will allow the Bureau to compile data on the success of these machines in the field.

An additional aspect of public access AED in New Hampshire includes the school systems. Many school nurses and administrators are looking into the purchase of AED for their facilities. NHBEMS and the NH EMS for Children Project at Dartmouth have created a resource document entitled "Public Access Defibrillation in New Hampshire Schools" in order to assist schools with issues surrounding AED. This resource document includes suggestions for implementing a PAD program, ideas for placement of the machines, and information on how a school can help reduce the risk of sudden cardiac deaths.

The New Hampshire Bureau of Emergency Medical Services is pleased to be actively engaged in assisting with the implementation of public access defibrillation programs statewide. As additional information becomes available with regards to this subject, it will be listed on this web page. Questions surrounding any of these programs can be e-mailed to William Wood at bwood@dos.nh.gov, Preparedness Coordinator, the staff member responsible for these projects.

Please refer to the Documents & Forms section of this web site for a complete listing of all publications.

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