BUFFALO, N.Y. — Following Damar Hamlin's health scare, local leaders are looking at more ways to help keep the community safe.
The Buffalo Common Council's decision to have more AEDs, or or automated external defibrillators, installed in all city-owned buildings is a new resolution that was adopted during Wednesday's meeting.
"If I'm here on the 13th floor, and I run down to the first floor to get a defibrillator, how long does that take me to get through elevators," council member Bryan Bollman said.
It will take longer than the three-minute response time they're trying to achieve. There's only one defibrillator in city hall, and it's on the first floor. Bollman is pushing for one on every floor.
"I've been in City Hall working for 15 years. I personally wasn't aware of where our AED machines were and how many we had. Then the second part of this is I'm asking for CPR training for our employees," Bollman said.
The American Heart Association reports 350,000 Americans die from cardiac arrest in a year alone. Most happen in homes or public settings.
"There are funds in the City of Buffalo. We have the ARP COVID dollars, and we also have our capital budget, where we fund our buildings," Bollman said, adding, "We also have our regular budget."