Defibrillator Bill Heads To Senate

A new automated defibrillator machine could save 200 lives a year in Idaho - but only if a new law is enacted to allow regular folks to use it.

“The technology is incredible,” said Sen. Jack Riggs, R-Coeur d’Alene, a physician and sponsor of the proposed law.

The new machine is so simple that anyone who takes an expanded CPR course can safely use it, he said. “You could learn how to do it in two minutes - it’s that simple.” But under current law, only highly trained paramedics or doctors can use defibrillator equipment.

Riggs said people who pass out from a heart irregularity only have about four minutes before brain damage starts. Though paramedics have sophisticated defibrillator machines that can shock a heart back into action, they typically take longer than that to reach a victim.

The new machine could be put in places like the state Capitol, schools, public gathering places or hotel lobbies. It measures the heartbeat and tells the operator whether a shock is needed. The operator pushes a button to apply the shock.

Riggs’ bill, SB 1185, won the committee’s support and goes next to the full Senate. If it passes there and in the House, the governor could sign it into law.