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Essex County approves AED lease and training contract; commissioners debate requiring certified personnel for permitted park events
Summary
The board approved a 24-month lease and training agreement for automated external defibrillators and CPR/AED classes but debated whether organizations that pull permits should be required to have a certified person on site; administration will roll out training and study permit-policy changes.
The Essex County Board of County Commissioners voted to approve a 24-month lease and service contract with ReadyCare LLC to maintain defibrillators across county buildings and to provide CPR/AED training to permitted organizations.
Frank Delgaudio, acting on behalf of the county’s director of risk management, said the contract covers lease and maintenance for approximately 157 AEDs, periodic inspections and a training program to teach CPR and AED use. Company representative Steve Pontefract (ReadyCare LLC) told the board the training is certificate-based and certificates issued under the contract will be valid for two years.
Delgaudio and ReadyCare said the contract also contemplates deployment of additional AEDs to playing fields (an estimated 67 additional units) and that training would be rolled out through the Parks Department and coordinated with organizations that hold permits.
Several commissioners supported the training contract but pressed administration on whether the county should make certification mandatory for groups pulling permits. Commissioner Richardson argued that any organization that pulls a permit should have at least one certified person on site; Vice President Cooper agreed and asked administration to return with a policy recommendation in a short timeframe. Parks Director Joshua Zates said many leagues already require certified staff, but smaller, one-off permit holders may not, and any broad requirement would need a phased rollout to avoid imposing sudden costs on small groups.
Delgaudio said the contract, if awarded, could start immediately; the administration proposed to begin training and then evaluate whether the permit process should be adjusted to require certification. Commissioners pressed for mass notification to existing permit holders and a plan for scaling training; the board asked staff to report back with a proposed schedule and a policy recommendation.
What’s next: Risk Management and Parks will implement training classes and follow up with the board by the fall on whether and how to require certification as part of the county’s permit process.
