Mall security, deputy use AED to save woman www.privateofficer.com
He watched her body go limp and he frantically screamed for help.
“It all happened so fast,” said Frankie Demara, mall security officer and Sheriff’s Explorer who assisted Deputy Kevin Riberich of the Victorville station on Wednesday night.
Riberich used an automated external defibrillator kept at the shopping center to shock the woman’s heart back into rhythm. When medical personnel transported her to Desert Valley Hospital, she was beginning to breathe on her own.
Riberich, who spent three years as an EMT before becoming a deputy, knows the importance of having these devices for use by the general public.
“They are very simple to use and they are such a great lifesaving tool that I suggest every major office, mall and anywhere there are a lot of people have one of these tools,” Riberich said.
AEDs are a great life-saving device, according to Jay Hausman, spokesman for the San Bernardino County Fire Victorville station.
“They have saved many a life,” Hausman said. “It’s great to see them put into areas where there’s a large concentration of the general public.”
The quicker a potentially life-saving jolt can be administered when dealing with a quivering or stopped heart, the more likely the person will survive, according to medical professionals.
“We want to make sure we are ready and prepared for anything that happens here at the Mall of the Victor Valley,” said Vito Bello, marketing manager for the mall. “Having an AED on site and available helps us do that.”
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