Huantai county – administered by Zibo city, in East China's Shandong province – on Dec 15 installed 50 automated external defibrillators, or AEDs, in public venues with large flows of people.
AEDs are medical devices used to help treat those stricken by a sudden cardiac arrest, often saving their lives.
The AED equipment rollout and support services leasing program is considered to be one of the significant public welfare projects in Zibo city. It is understood that the city was equipped with a total of 2,000 AEDs in 2021.
On Dec 15, volunteers from the Red Cross Society of China went to places where the apparatus was deployed, to demonstrate how to operate and maintain the AEDs.
Representatives from the Huantai branches of the Red Cross said they would beef up efforts to install more AEDs and provide first aid training to the public, so people have the courage and capability to operate the equipment during the critical period before the ambulance arrives.
A volunteer from the Red Cross Society shows residents how to use AEDs at one of the new emergency treatment stations in Huantai county. [Photo/WeChat account: huantairongmei]
The move to introduce the device is in line with the country's principle of putting people's lives first.
The city of Zibo is said to meet the national standards for first aid facilities in public places and its installed numbers of AEDs is understood to rank among the highest in the country.
