In Reply to: Re: California Dive Boat Association posted by Santa's Little Helper on December 25, 2008 at 14:34:43:

I can't believe you would knock the use of an AED on a dive boat or any other place where active people are.

I have taught CPR and AED for a very long time, and know a thing or two about them, their use, and their maintenance.

Technically you are right, they do not restart a stopped heart, they stop a fibrillating heart and allow it to re-boot itself. Think of a Windows computer needing a Ctrl-Alt-Del. When otherwise healthy folks collapse from a heart problem, it is usually caused by the problem that an AED corrects! This is exactly the device to have available for a group of divers!

The shelf life of the battery and pads is long (years), and when they are used, they must be replaced. The maintenance costs are not much different than an O2 unit and none of us complain about those needing to be refilled and their regulators needing service.

Looking at your post, it is clear that you do not know much about the subject. I am sure you have taken a CPR/AED/FA course, but that does not qualify you to give guidence about the choice of emergency equipment to be placed on boats. When it comes to emergency equipment and procedures, stay out of the way and leave it to those who know what they are doing. Better yet, get advanced training and knowledge so that you will be capable of being useful in an emergency.

Oh yea, for those intgerested, I prefer the Phillips brand AEDs for their ease of use and service.

Wayne Tuttle