City moves forward on public-access defibrillator pilot for parks and athletic sites

City staff described a proposed Public Access Defibrillator (PAD) program that would place AEDs and climate-controlled cabinets at high-traffic parks and athletic complexes and maintain a portable unit for events and field trips.

Ms. Martinez, the presenting staff member, said the goal is to place units in a phased approach at sites such as Mathis Park, Atwater Soccer Complex, Riverside Park, City Park and Crystal Lake. Assistant Director Williams summarized equipment and lifecycle costs and demonstrated how the cabinets and AEDs would be accessed during an emergency: the caller dials 911, the dispatcher provides an access code, and the cabinet opens so a bystander can retrieve the AED and follow voice prompts. Williams said the devices include child settings and that dispatchers could walk rescuers through use.

Why it matters: Staff cited national estimates that roughly 350,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occur yearly and reported that immediate AED use doubles survival rates. The PAD program aims to improve survival by providing 24/7 access in high-use public areas and to train staff and volunteers to deploy devices safely.

Costs and maintenance: Williams outlined equipment quantities, one-time installation and security costs, and ongoing replacement timelines for pads and batteries. The presentation listed cabinet and AED unit costs, an estimated cost for installation (trenching, mounting) of $9,654 for the current phase, camera installation budgets discussed at roughly $24,000 for security at multiple sites, and recurring pad/battery replacement (pads ~ $75 each, batteries ~ $225 each) on a replacement cycle the presenter described as approximately 2.5 years for pads and five years for batteries. The presenter also noted a subscription technology cost shown in the packet that would begin in 2029 and an in-kind grant contribution of about $21,000 toward equipment.

Training, reporting and logistics: Martinez said staff will coordinate training for dispatch and first responders across shifts and that the city will provide reporting to the Virginia Department of Health with basic, nonidentifying deployment statistics. The city aims to keep at least one spare pad and battery on hand for each deployed unit to minimize service downtime.

Council questions: Councilors asked about lighting, camera placement, siting decisions (including service on both sides of the riverwalk and federal land constraints on some locations), whether costs were per unit or total for the six cabinets, and how expansion beyond the initial six cabinets would be funded. Williams replied the $9,654 figure covered installation for all six cabinets in the current phase, said cabinets are climate-controlled (heater activates below 40 degrees), and that staff are pursuing additional grant funds through the Crater Health District and would otherwise use salary-savings and vacancy funds to cover costs such as cameras. Martinez said public works and parks maintenance staff would support siting and electricity and that existing park lighting would serve cabinets placed near lit areas.

Next steps and timeline: Staff described a phased rollout beginning in January through March for the initial placement and additional work through March–April for operator training and final installations. Council asked staff to pursue grants for additional cabinets and to coordinate with public safety on training; staff said they would return with further updates after grant determinations in April and when vendor timelines are firm.

No formal vote was taken on program adoption at this meeting; staff requested direction and answered council questions about costs, security and training.