The Municipality of São Brás de Alportel expanded its network of Automatic External Defibrillators (AED), increasing the existing equipment in different public spaces in the municipality to 11, with the aim of guaranteeing «a quick and effective response to situations of cardiorespiratory arrest that could to occur".
The four new pieces of equipment are installed in public spaces: next to the José Belchior Viegas Secondary School, an area that covers the GNR Barracks and an area of high housing density; next to Escola Poeta Bernardo de Passos and Sports and Leisure Park (which includes Municipal Football Field – Synthetic, Skate Park, Basketball Court and Petanque Complex), close to the School Center with various teaching equipment, a daycare center and an area housing; next to the Municipal Market, in the heart of the urban center that concentrates the majority of commercial establishments and the area with the highest housing density and also in the Historic Center, close to the City Hall, Municipal Library, Arts and Crafts Center, Outdoor Swimming Pools and Main Church.
The new equipment that was installed in outdoor areas is already in operation and is just awaiting licensing by the National Institute of Medical Emergency (INEM).
Until now, two automatic defibrillators were installed in the Dr. José de Sousa Pires Municipal Pavilion and in the Covered Municipal Swimming Pools, equipment that concentrates a large number of users, and four in the aid vehicles of the São Brás de Alportel Volunteer Fire Department.
The Municipal Automatic Defibrillation Program of São Brás de Alportel, created in 2016, was expanded at the end of 2023.
«On March 1st, International Civil Protection Day, in an action promoted by the Municipal Civil Protection Service, some partners in this project, namely Volunteer Firefighters, GNR and School Group, visited one of the equipment installed next to the School Secondary, with a test of its operation carried out», revealed the Chamber of São Brás de Alportel.
After all, this project «integrates the constitution of a large group of volunteer citizens who are available to collaborate in this civic mission that can save lives».
Therefore, in parallel to this installation, «the Municipality is promoting basic life support training actions with an automatic external defibrillator for operators who work in the vicinity of this equipment».
«In line with this municipal effort, in a partnership with the 1330 Group of São Brás de Alportel of the National Scout Corps, the municipality also acquired a defibrillator with respective training for some members of the group so that they can be able to act quickly and effectively in situations of PCR, thus also allowing us to have a mobile defibrillator to support scouting activities and municipal events", revealed the municipality.
According to the National Institute of Medical Emergency, cases of sudden cardiac death take on frightening numbers nationwide, with more than 10 thousand occurrences recorded annually.
In the case of cardiorespiratory arrest (CPA), all time counts. It is estimated that in around 57 percent of recorded cardiac arrests, no resuscitation maneuvers are performed, and there is only one automatic external defibrillator for every 10 inhabitants, meaning that on average only three percent of people who suffer a cardiac arrest in a pre-existing environment -hospital survive.
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