DAGS Installs 162 AEDs At Its Buildings

HONOLULU - The state of Hawaiʻi Department of Accounting and General Services (DAGS) Central Services Division has installed 162 automated external defibrillators, or AEDs, in most DAGS-owned facilities statewide. Its vendor, AED Institute, then trained 920 state employees under Hawaiʻi Heart Foundation's Common Sense CPR Program on how to perform CPR and use an AED for all ages.

Acting Lieutenant Governor Keith Regan, who also serves as DAGS Director and state Comptroller, says, "It was important to us to make sure all 40 of the state buildings we manage are stocked with vital life-saving devices. Every minute matters when someone goes into sudden cardiac arrest. Having an AED nearby, along with people who know how to use it, can mean the difference between life and death."

The Philips HeartStart OnSite AEDs cost about $250,000. DAGS used federal coronavirus pandemic relief funding to buy them. It completed the installations over the past seven months. AED Institute is providing one year of maintenance.

AED Institute President and Owner Pam Foster adds, "We've seen firsthand how access to these devices saves lives - in Hawaiʻi's airports, survival rates from sudden cardiac arrest increased from an estimated 0% to more than 70% after AEDs were installed. We're proud to partner with DAGS to help make state facilities safer for employees and the public."

The AEDs are in approximately 40 multistory state buildings, with at least one device per floor. There are 120 units on Oʻahu, 21 on Hawaiʻi Island, nine on Maui, nine on Kauaʻi and three on Molokaʻi.