Cole County adopts proclamation for Heart Month, discusses AED placement and public CPR training

The Cole County Commission read and endorsed a proclamation recognizing February as Heart Month and discussed steps to improve survivability from sudden cardiac arrest, including expanding access to automatic external defibrillators (AEDs) in county buildings and promoting hands-only CPR training.

A Jefferson City Fire Department official and Cole County Emergency Medical Services staff described heart disease as a leading cause of death and provided survival statistics the county cited: in 2024, emergency responders treated 66 patients for sudden cardiac arrest and six of those patients survived to hospital discharge (about 9.1 percent). The presenters said bystander CPR raises survival to about 35 percent, and when an AED is available combined with bystander CPR survivability approaches approximately 66 percent.

County staff outlined local efforts for the month: building a GIS-based repository of AED locations, hosting a public hands-only CPR training (noted in the record for Feb. 19 from 1:30 p.m. to about 4:30 p.m. in the police department classroom), and exploring an ordinance similar to one the city adopted the prior night that requires AEDs in new or remodeled city-owned buildings. The county official said the Premier Center would likely be the primary county facility affected if the commission chose to pursue a similar ordinance for county-owned buildings.

Commissioners responded supportively on the record. One commissioner noted that some remote county facilities such as garages or warehouses may need different AED planning and emphasized the need for maintained batteries. The proclamation as read encourages installation of AEDs in each new or remodeled building owned, occupied or operated by the county and urges county employees to learn hands-only CPR in line with American Heart Association guidance.

Why it matters: early CPR and defibrillation greatly increase chances of survival after sudden cardiac arrest. The county's steps — mapping AEDs and offering public training — aim to increase bystander intervention and reduce preventable deaths among county residents and employees.

What the record shows: the county proclamation cites the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Heart Association for the Chain of Survival links (early EMS access, quick recognition and CPR, early defibrillation and advanced care). The city adopted an ordinance the night before requiring AEDs in city-owned buildings moving forward; the county discussion centered on whether to pursue a parallel policy for county facilities and how to implement it.