Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Safety Aeds topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Supporters, including survivor’s widow, urge AEDs at Rhode Island golf courses
Summary
Advocates and the RI Golf Association told the House committee that requiring automated external defibrillators at golf courses would save lives; sponsor said the measure requires no state funding and noted about 60 courses statewide.
Representative Fallella introduced House Bill 5,083, which would require automated external defibrillators (AEDs) at golf courses listed as public places. Fallella told the committee the number one cause of death on golf courses is cardiac arrest and estimated there are about 60 golf courses in Rhode Island, public and private.
Betsy Casey, whose husband David suffered cardiac arrest on a course in February 2023 and later died, described a delayed emergency response and said ‘‘there was no AEDs there’’ on the eighteenth hole. Casey urged lawmakers to pass the bill so other families would not experience the same loss.
Bill Walsh, representing the Rhode Island Golf Association, said most larger clubs already have AEDs and the association will work with clubs on training and cost. Walsh confirmed the association supports the bill and intends to help members comply.
Sponsor remarks and witness testimony: Fallella said the legislation would not require state funding and estimated device cost as low thousands of dollars, with a battery life of about five years. He noted a prior law requiring AEDs in facilities with 300 or more people does not cover most golf courses.
Why it matters: Witnesses said prompt access to AEDs increases survival after sudden cardiac arrest; testimony included a personal account of delayed rescue and an appeal that the modest cost be borne by courses.
No formal committee vote on the substance of H. 5,083 occurred at the hearing; the bill was included in the committee’s procedural hold for further study.
