SISTERS, OR -- The Warfighter Outfitters of Sisters received an Automatic External Defibrillator as part of the Sisters Fire District Grant Program. Fire Chief Roger Johnson said Warfighters is a non-profit guide group that takes veterans on hunting and fishing trips out in the wild, where they might need portable lifesaving medical equipment.
Johnson said the non-profit, all volunteer organization was truly deserving. "These are people that have served our country, and sacrificed a lot for all of us. And, we thought it was a great partnership to make sure, while they're out in the environment, they had the protection of having an AED with them."
Johnson added that the Fire District Grant was for $250, which only amounted to 1/3 the cost of the AED, but the Volunteer association donated to cover the rest. Johnson said the AED program has really taken off in Sisters. "We work with our local businesses and encourage them to install AEDs, and this is a program that we're really pushing in our community, and it's a matching grant. We offer $250 towards the purchase of an AED."
22 local businesses have installed AEDs in the last year, with 9 have been awarded as part of the Sisters Fire District Grant. Johnson says AED's cost about $900.
Chief Johnson says these machines save lives. "Somebody has a sudden cardiac arrest, seconds really count, and having bystanders that can start CPR, and having quick access to an AED, are two of the most important elements in survivability."
The Warfighter Outfitters serve veterans and their families from all over Central Oregon.
