Senate panel backs bill to map AEDs to 911 dispatch after campus deaths

The Senate Public Safety Committee unanimously approved SB399, the Mason Sells AED Coordination Act, which would require basic coordination of automated external defibrillator (AED) locations with 911 services so dispatchers can guide callers to nearby devices.

Sen. Harvin said the measure addresses cases in which AEDs existed nearby but were inaccessible or locked away, preventing timely use. Scott Sells, father of Mason Sells, described his son’s collapse during an intramural soccer match and said that despite an AED being within a minute’s distance, it was not available; Mason subsequently died. Sells contrasted that outcome with another student who suffered sudden cardiac arrest and survived after immediate AED use.

"An AED is an automated external defibrillator, an easy to use, safe reliable tool to provide the necessary electrical current needed to restart a stopped heart," Sells said in testimony. He urged mapping AEDs into 911 systems and noted technological tools—GPS tags, apps and mapping—could make devices accessible in real time.

Supporters said the bill focuses on location, operation and training: knowing where AEDs are, ensuring access, and helping 911 dispatchers coach callers through AED use. The committee voted to pass SB399 by voice vote.