AED stands for Automated External Defibrillator. It is a portable electronic machine that automatically evaluates the heart arrhythmias of an unresponsive person and is able to give them an electric shock to restart their heart. AEDs save lives. When a person has a sudden cardiac arrest, the heart becomes arrhythmic. Every minute that the heart is not beating lowers the odds of survival by 7-10 percent. After 10 minutes without defibrillation, very few people survive. While CPR is better than nothing, AEDs significantly increase a person's chance of surviving an unresponsive state.

Lots of unexpected things happen in the residence halls. We have RAs who are CPR and AED certified and trained, yet we don't have any AEDs in any Cal Poly residence halls. Let's change that! University Housing has the money to buy them - we just need to show Housing that this is a real need and it's something that we (students, alumni, staff, parents, family, friends) really want. It would be so much better to have AEDs and not need them often than to not have one when you need it. Because not having one when you need it ... that could result in someone's death.

Sign the petition to give to Housing! YOU'RE MAKING A DIFFERENCE! Thank you!