The Village of Citrus Grove
AED Information
Neighbors Saving Neighbors
Citrus Grove AED Committee
Jan Buege, Chair Kay Helfert Connie Richey Cindi Seidel
Deb Buege Tina Williamson Dave Richey Mike Fritz
Who Are We
We are a group of Citrus Grove residents who came together with the goal of providing AEDs to our neighbors. After meeting with The Villages Fire Department, it was determined that we would need 17 AEDs in our village. We have increased this to 18 units, because of a resident who offered to pay for a full unit to have it located on their property.
How Does The Program Work
The Villages Public Safety Department oversees the program. They assist in forming the committee, ordering equipment, training the volunteer responders and providing continuing updates on training and equipment. Our volunteers will respond to administer CPR and to apply the AED. Volunteers will only respond to cardiac arrest calls.
We plan to have about 100 residents trained as volunteer responders. The Villages Public Safety will provide the initial training free of charge. There will be a charge for all ongoing training. Each responder will be connected to PulsePoint. When a cardiac arrest occurs, a call will be made to 911. The 911 operator, in addition to determining the nature of the emergency and dispatching paramedics, also sends a message via PulsePoint to alert our group. Responders nearest the home will go start CPR while others bring the AED.
How Much Does a Unit Cost
If it was only that simple. Not only do we need to purchase the unit, we need cases, installation materials, locks, one backup battery and at least one pad replacement for each unit, and a CPR Training Kit for the over 100 people who have volunteered to be responders. This brings us to a total of approximately $2700 per unit. This is where our initial goal of $48,510.00 came from.
What Will Be The Cost Of Maintaining Our Units
As with any medical device, there will be ongoing costs to maintain our units. We do not have a history to pull from when trying to determine this amount. However, we do know what other villages are experiencing and/or planning for. There will be a need to replace an AED pad every time one is used, batteries will need to be replaced, we will be providing ongoing training for our responders. All of these cost money. We will also be providing a “Go Bag” for each unit. This bag will have K95 masks, gloves, trauma scissors, a safety vest, hand sanitizer, and other items deemed necessary for patient and responder safety.
Where Do We Stand
Through a lot of hard work, dedication, and residents’ contributions, we have met our initial goal of $48,510. This is great news, and we are ready to move onto the next phase of establishing a reserve fund for ongoing expenses. As previously stated, it is impossible to know what these costs may be. It’s important to understand that this is not a one and done operation. This committee, and our work, will be ongoing for years to come. There will be unforeseen expenses that will arise over the years. The life expectancy of each unit is 10 years. Since this is an average, we know that we will have some that need replacing sooner, and some will be later than the 10 years. Our goal is to have one or two fundraisers each year that will keep the coffers at a level where we will not have to come to residents for more donations every time there is an additional expense.
Where Are Our Units
We have the money, so where are our units? Unfortunately, the pandemic brought a supply issue like we’ve never seen before. The AEDs run on chips that are manufactured in China, which are in short supply. Some groups have experienced a wait of up to 16 months in receiving their AEDs. Knowing what a great village we live in, we went ahead and ordered our units in November. This put us behind 3 other villages. One of those villages has received their units, so we currently have two villages in front of us. We have been told that the units are starting to come in faster, and we are hoping this means we will have ours in the next few months.
As your AED Committee, we would like to say THANK YOU to everyone who has taken the time to support bringing AEDs to Citrus Grove. Whether you had a garage sale, attended one of our fundraising events, had your hot water heater flushed, installed a gate pass, or donated your hard earned money (several of you have done more than one), we thank you. Also a huge shout out to the 112 volunteers who have signed up to become the backbone of this great program.
As you know, your AED Committee has been working tirelessly to raise the funds needed to bring AEDs to our village. While we have enjoyed meeting many of you as we have gone door to door, it is difficult with close to 1100 houses and 6 of us. So, in an effort to reach more of you quickly, we will be at the postal station on several occasions! We are asking each household to contribute $100, but will accept any amount you feel comfortable donating. Many of you have already donated at least that amount, and for that we are very grateful. So, if you would like to make your donation, come see us at the postal station this Friday, February 24th between 2 and 5 pm. Alternatively, you can drop off or mail your contribution to
Citrus Grove AED
6126 Mulligan Run
The Villages 32163
Thank you,
Your AED Committee
