Public Safety Commission seeks funding to install bleeding‑control kits in town AED boxes
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Summary
The Public Safety Commission requested about $5,000 to place and publicize bleeding‑control kits in AED cabinets across town, citing Public Act 25‑160; the commission proposed a phased rollout and training tie‑ins with PulsePoint and Parks & Rec programs.
Frank Bumbaca, cochair of the Public Safety Commission, asked the council to fund an initial rollout of bleeding‑control kits to comply with Public Act 25‑160 and to support training and outreach.
"This is a—you can get kits that do expire. These kits do not," Bumbaca said, describing a kit that contains tourniquets, gauze, gloves and trauma shears. He said the plan was to place two kits in each AED box (current town inventory ~42 AED boxes) and that each box would cost about $150 in kits (two kits per cabinet).
Bumbaca said his group proposed a phased approach — roughly 14 kits per year for three years under the current ask — and recommended integrating kit locations into the free PulsePoint app so that members of the public and first responders can find both AEDs and bleeding‑control kits. He said the Public Safety Commission budget request was $5,700 originally and as submitted in the municipal budget window it appears as $5,000.
Why it matters: the statute was effective July 1, 2025, and while the act does not specify an implementation timetable or enforcement mechanism, commissioners said providing kits and training is the practical way to comply and improve out‑of‑hospital bleeding response. Commissioners proposed training for volunteer coaches and staff and suggested Parks & Rec and schools be included in outreach.
Next steps: councilors expressed support for the initiative and asked staff to coordinate placement, training and a sustainable funding source for kit replacement if units are used. The Public Safety Commission will work with police and parks staff on rollout logistics and training.
