A new organization is going public with its fight to prevent fatal heart attacks.

It is called HeartSafe Moore County. It will hold a kick-off breakfast at 7:30 a.m. Nov. 27 at The National Golf Club.

The goal of the organization is to help save lives by promoting the availability of automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in public places, such as schools, golf clubs, churches, businesses and other public locations.

"Our goal is threefold," said Buddy Spong, executive director, Moore County Chapter of American Red Cross and vice chairman of the HeartSafe Moore County project. "We want to increase awareness about heart disease, provide training to assist individuals in managing a crisis and encourage public access to AEDs throughout our community.

"I want one (AED) every 50 feet in Southern Pines. I want one every 40 to 50 feet in Pinehurst. I want them to be as ubiquitous as fire extinguishers."

Dr. Robin Cummings, the chairman of HeartSafe Moore County, will present the program. Rachel Moyer, who lost her 15-year-old son to sudden cardiac arrest and is a national AED advocate, and Roger Watson Jr., a Pinehurst resident whose life was saved by an AED, will also speak.

The registration deadline for the breakfast is Nov. 21. Anyone interested in attending is asked to call 715-1834.

Spong said that making AEDs as common as fire extinguishers is ambitious.

"I know it is going to take years, but we are going to start now," he said.

Cummings added, "Fire extinguishers are made to save property; indirectly, I guess they can save lives. But these (AED) are devices directly geared toward saving lives."

The AEDs are portable, user-friendly, battery-operated devices that use electrical shocks to restore a normal heart rhythm in someone who has suffered sudden cardiac arrest.

Sudden cardiac arrest, commonly called a massive heart attack, occurs when the regular heart rhythm is interrupted. Blood flow to the brain slows, and the victim loses consciousness. Without help, death can occur in a matter of minutes.

HeartSafe Moore County is encouraging local businesses to purchase the devices, which will be available through the program for $1,500.

That cost includes the device, all the necessary training and a weatherproof carrying case equipped with basic first-aid materials.

The group is also encouraging civic organizations to purchase the devices and donate them to schools and other organizations.

When it comes to saving the life of a person who has suffered sudden cardiac arrest, time is the most critical factor. Experts say that the chance of survival is 90 percent if the heart can be restarted within a minute of the attack. Survival rates drop by an average of 10 percent as each minute passes.

The average EMS response time in Moore County is 10 minutes.

Having an AED on hand would hopefully increase the number of lives saved, according to the group.

"Moore County is a geographical challenge for EMS services," said Scot Brooks, the county director of public safety. "We have a large coverage area with population centers that are spread out. Although we have an optimal number of well-equipped ambulances, our response time is usually around 10 to 12 minutes. With a network of AEDs in place, when a call comes in, we will be able to immediately determine if there is a defibrillator that can be used prior to the arrival of our EMS unit and direct the caller accordingly."

Brooks encourages individuals in the community who know of existing AEDs to contact his office at 947-6500.

The Moore County school system has six AEDs spread among 22 campuses. The goal is for the school system to acquire 40 to 50 of the devices.

An AED will be available during the three-day Pilot Cup basketball tournament, which tips off at 2 p.m. Saturday at Union Pines High School.

Sudden cardiac arrest is the No. 1 cause of death in the United States. An estimated 465,000 people die from it each year. Two-thirds of those die while at home, work or play.

It is estimated that 7,000 to 14,000 children per year will die from undetected heart problems that could trigger sudden cardiac arrest.

"I've seen defibrillators save thousands of lives," Cummings said.

Considering the affluence of Moore County residents and its top-line medical facilities, Cummings said that having AEDs more readily available is long overdue.

"It should have happened years ago," Cummings said.

Contact Tom Embrey at 693-2473 or by e-mail at tembrey@thepilot.com

Reprinted with permission, The Pilot, Southern Pines, NC