There is some misinformation in the previous posts, but mostly right. I live in Chitty Chatty, and our neighborhood AED program has excellent participation amongst our 472 homes. We have 8 AED boxes set up, which myself and another individual set in place. Our actual AED units were ordered months ago, but are still stuck in the supply chain somewhere...hence the empty boxes.
The AED units themselves are closer to $1400, not $3000 as one poster mentioned. The batteries should last about 4 years before needing replacement, but we'll see how that holds up in the Florida heat. An important note: the AED boxes CAN be placed on property owned by The Villages. In fact, The Villages recommends they be erected on District property wherever possible. If placed on District property, they will set the posts for you...we installed the PVC sleeves, light caps, and boxes on those.
Also, the Villages Fire Department is transitioning away from Ready Alert as their responder notification system. Ready Alert charges an annual fee per responder, and is very expensive. The Fire Department has decided to use Pulse Point as its responder notification system, and Pulse Point is free. That is what we will be using in Chitty Chatty.
We have collected sufficient funding for our neighborhood program to operate for many years. Our volunteer responders have all been trained by the Villages Fire Department. Our boxes are up and ready to go. We just need the supply chain to loosen up so the AED units can be placed inside. But, even though we are ready to go, I will be very happy if we never have to use one.
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