“Thank you to Cardiac on Campus for making Madison and the UW campus safer,” said Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway. “What we’re celebrating today is a great example of partners working together to better our community.”
If someone experiences sudden cardiac arrest near one of the downtown-area SaveStations, bystanders are encouraged to:
- Immediately call 911
- Begin hands-only CPR
- Retrieve an AED from the nearby SaveStation
"Every second counts in a cardiac emergency. Placing AEDs in high-traffic areas like Library Mall and James Madison Park helps protect young people, students, and the community," said Kelsey King, Co-President of Cardiac on Campus. "When businesses lock their doors for the night, their AEDs can’t be used in an emergency. These SaveStations ensure that AEDs are accessible at all times.”
These outdoor, climate controlled, weatherproof, free-standing towers are strategically placed near the Wisconsin Historical Society on Library Mall and near the basketball courts at James Madison Park for optimal availability in high-traffic areas.
Like other AEDs commonly available for public use, these ZOLL AEDs provide easy-to-follow verbal instructions that guide the user through every step of the process.
Automated External Defibrillators, also known as AEDs, are designed to detect whether a person experiencing cardiac arrest has a shockable heart rhythm. If appropriate, the AED will deliver a shock to the patient and may restore a normal heartbeat.
By making AEDs more available within the community, the Madison Fire Department and Cardiac on Campus aim to further increase the cardiac arrest survival rates in Madison and Dane County.
"When bystanders take action by performing hands-only CPR and applying an AED before the fire department arrives, a person's chances of survival increase significantly," said Chris Hammes, Assistant Chief of Medical Operations at the Madison Fire Department. "It truly takes a village to save someone’s life, and bystanders are a critical link in the chain of survival."
Find the Nearest AED With PulsePoint
These AED SaveStations are among the hundreds of AEDs registered locally in PulsePoint, a free app that allows everyday users to find the nearest AED during an emergency. The PulsePoint app also alerts you when someone in a nearby public place needs hands-only CPR.
Download the PulsePoint app.
These SaveStations were made possible in partnership with Madison Parks, City of Madison Traffic Engineering, and City of Madison Engineering.
About Cardiac on Campus
Cardiac on Campus is a student-led nonprofit at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Its mission is to prevent sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) and sudden cardiac death (SCD) in the community.
Cardiac on Campus is dedicated to promoting accessible cardiac healthcare and education by providing free CPR certification courses, electrocardiogram (ECG) screenings, and donating AEDs to the University of Wisconsin-Madison and larger Madison area.
Since its founding, Cardiac on Campus has placed more than 10 AEDs on the UW-Madison campus, certified over 2,200 individuals in CPR, and performed preventative ECG screenings on over 760 UW-Madison students and community members.
