MARTIN COUNTY, Fla. — After a tragedy last summer, there has been a push to bring lifesaving devices to parks in Martin County. Now, we've learned that automated external defibrillators (AEDs) will be in place in the coming weeks.
What happened on the pickleball courts at Halpatiokee Park in Stuart last July shook Candace Cooney.
"Unfortunately he passed away right here on the courts in front of 50 other pickleball players," said Cooney.
She was there when 56-year-old Sam Hopkins collapsed.
Players called an ambulance and rushed to perform CPR but Hopkins died.
After the tragedy, more than 120 pickleball players raised enough money to buy three AEDs, and someone was responsible for bringing them to the park each day.
"It was important to us that that wasn’t the end of it," Cooney said. "We'll never know if that would have helped Sam or not, but we didn't want to find ourselves in that position again."
Since players were responsible for bringing the AEDs, they were not available all the time, so Cooney and others began asking county commissioners to get them placed in parks permanently.
"We thought it would be a no-brainer," Cooney said. "We've had an unfortunate situation, and we need to do something now."
After months of dialogue, the AEDs are now on their way.
"We know that when we use CPR along with an AED within the first minute or two, the person's chance for survival greatly increases," Deputy Chief Rodney Robertson with Martin County Fire Rescue said.
Martin County Fire Rescue will oversee the new devices.
"The county has authorized the purchase of about 40 of those," Robertson said. "We’re going to put them in various locations throughout the county in different parks. They will not be in every park but in selected parks."
They'll have GPS monitors, so first responders will know if they’ve been used or when they have a low battery.
The devices will be in cases to withstand the elements and can be opened with a code when someone calls 911.
Cooney is relieved that change is coming and grateful that WPTV gave her a platform.
"Your eyes on this issue is what raised the profile and really started something, the wheels turning and something taking place and I'm so appreciative of that," Cooney said.
The exact locations of the AEDs within the parks are still being determined. Martin County Fire Rescue plans to roll them out in the coming weeks.
