I am not a doctor, nor am I a local government professional, so I was really curious to sit in on the Solutions Track session sponsored by Philips Healthcare (an ICMA Strategic Partner) on the use and proliferation of automated external defribilators (AEDs). Entitled, "Communities Saving Lives: Early Defibrillation Programs," Leonoard Matarese of the ICMA Center for Public Safety Management and Captain Jose Chavez of the San Jose Police Department spoke on the development of AED technology, and how local governments are taking advantage of this incredible tool to save lives.

Both speakers stressed how easy it is to use AEDs - the machines only initiate the shock if it detects that the patient is actually in fibrilation, erasing the potential for user error - and how important it is for local governments to provide AEDs as resources in their communities. Attendees discussed placing them in police cars, scattering them in public buildings, or working with BID's or other neighborhood groups to make them easily accessible to citizens and emergency personnel. Just as important, though, is familiarizing people with their locations and how to use them so that when someone needs the service, citizens are able to respond quickly and save lives.