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Oscar Strong Foundation donates 12 AEDs as West Palm Beach seeks 'heart-safe' designation
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Summary
The Oscar Strong Foundation donated 12 automated external defibrillators and accompanying stations for West Palm Beach parks; the donation and expanded CPR training helped the city reach a Heart Safe City designation and complements fire department resuscitation protocols.
Leah Rockwell, director of Parks and Recreation, told the City Commission that the Oscar Strong Foundation donated 12 automated external defibrillators (AEDs) and ‘‘save stations’’ installed across city parks to increase emergency access to life-saving equipment. The devices have been mounted at sites including Phipps Park, Howard Park, South Olive Park and others, and city staff are handling installation.
The presentation, which the commission acknowledged during its March 2 meeting, explained the program's origins: a near-fatal cardiac arrest suffered by 6-year-old Oscar at a Phipps Park baseball game in March 2024. Oscar's mother and foundation leaders said immediate CPR and an AED shock saved his life and motivated the foundation's focus on public education and equipment accessibility.
Fire Chief Diana Maddy said the city pursues a Heart Safe City designation, which requires widespread CPR training, public AED accessibility and advanced resuscitation protocols. Chief Maddy said the department already has advanced resuscitation protocols for paramedics and that the new devices pushed West Palm Beach toward meeting designation criteria.
Rockwell provided cost details: tower-mounted units cost about $5,200 each and wall-mounted units about $4,620 plus signage; the foundation's donation totaled roughly $48,000 to date. Rockwell and Sarah, speaking for the Oscar Strong Foundation, stressed that high-quality bystander CPR combined with quick AED use can increase survival rates from about 10% to roughly 30% or higher when both are used rapidly.
Commissioners and the mayor praised the foundation and the city's parks and fire personnel for the partnership and encouraged public CPR training. Rockwell said more installations are planned as funding and site readiness allow.
The city did not immediately provide an exhaustive list of all future installation sites or a firm timeline for additional units beyond those reported at the meeting.
