2 AEDs, Narcan, Stop The Bleed Kits Installed In Downtown Bel Air

BEL AIR, MD ? Officials have installed two publicly accessible automated external defibrillators in the downtown area. The AEDs can be found inside boxes that also contain a Stop the Bleed kit that helps control excessive bleeding, along with Narcan to treat an opioid overdose.

They are accessible 24 hours a day, seven days a week, in the Office Street pocket park across from the Harford County Courthouse and in Plumtree Park on Thomas Street near the intersection with Brooks Road in the Howard Park neighborhood.

People should call 911 first if they are experiencing or witness an emergency and the dispatcher will direct the caller ? or another person designated by the caller ? to the AED box if it is close to the scene of the emergency, officials noted.

The dispatcher will then tell the person how to retrieve the unit from the box. The AEDs have voice prompts to guide responders in how to use them to treat patients, according to Bel Air Town Administrator Edward Hopkins.

?Studies have shown that early intervention of CPR, combined with the use of an AED on a patient in sudden cardiac arrest, increases their chances of survival and recovery,? Hopkins said. ?Having these resources available in the public domain gives people the tools they need to save a life.?

Officials plan to install more AEDs in parks and other spots around downtown Bel Air in the coming months.