Cheektowaga reports AED rollout across town buildings and police cars; 82 units in inventory and six documented critical uses

Craig McConaughey, a Town of Cheektowaga fire inspector who manages the town’s AED program, told the Town Board on Jan. 14, 2025 that the town now inventories 82 AED units deployed across town buildings, police vehicles and other municipal locations following a purchase funded in part by American Rescue Plan Act allocations.

McConaughey said the inventory includes 54 Stryker LifePak 1000 units (45 of those just over one year old), 25 ZOLL Medical units obtained through an agreement with Axon Public Safety and three Medtronic Physio‑Control LifePak 500 units held in storage as spares. He said 38 AEDs are deployed in police cars (patrol, traffic, community services and the tactical unit), six are assigned to foremen’s or inspectors’ vehicles, 25 are placed in town buildings including senior centers, and two are held as spares in dispatch and the fire‑inspector’s office. Six units are awaiting deployment to highway department vehicles until those crews receive CPR training.

On outcomes, McConaughey reported that “since Jan. 12, 2024” town police used AEDs in six critical incidents: three incidents involved trauma or suspected poisoning where resuscitation was not successful, and in three other instances “the timely use of an automated external defibrillator alongside high quality CPR led to successful outcomes.” He said the program demonstrates the value of rapid access and training.

McConaughey summarized program operations and next steps: biannual inspections to ensure operability; consolidation of maintenance funding under a single budget line; and a replacement strategy tied to unit type and use patterns. He said stationary units in buildings could remain functional for 15–20 years while mobile units in vehicles are likely to need replacement sooner (10–15 years) because of more frequent handling.

He said the town worked with Erie County Department of Health to install Narcan boxes that accompany public‑access AEDs and that, as of his report, none of the Narcan doses placed in town boxes had been removed. McConaughey also described outreach on training: he has been in discussions about establishing an American Heart Association training center in Cheektowaga and said the town hopes to prioritize CPR and AED training for supervisors and then expand training to other employee groups on a rotating schedule.

McConaughey told the board he is working on procurement and logistics to reduce replacement pad costs and will prepare a cost‑benefit and budget plan for ongoing maintenance and training; he said pads for the LifePak systems cost about $54 per adult set and ZOLL five‑year pad kits run substantially higher when replacement is required. He closed by reiterating the program’s life‑saving record and urging continued focus on training so units are used effectively when needed.