Five dozen emergency service departments in mostly rural Iowa are getting new heart-starting equipment, courtesy of a federal grant. Melissa Sally-Mueller of the Iowa E-M-S Association says they’re giving away 60, F-D-A-approved automatic external defibrillators today that’ll jump start the hearts of children and adults.She says it means people who have a “cardiac event” in rural areas of Iowa may be saved by one of these A-E-Ds. Sally-Mueller says the machines aren’t cheap. The state received a 220-thousand dollar grant, and bought 60 defibrillators.Sally-Mueller says most of the towns had defibrillators, but the new ones can be used on children, too. She suspects old defibrillators that’ll be replaced will be shifted to high schools or gyms. Here’s a list of the towns receiving the automatic external defibrillators: Alden, Alta, Bluffton, Burr Oak, Castalia, Chester Lime, Clemons, Columbus Junction, Conrad, Cresco, Cumberland, Cushing, Decorah, Dickens, Doon, Duncombe, Earlham, Eddyville, Eldon, Ellston, Ellsworth, Emerson, Farragut, Fostoria, Frankville, Gravity, Greenville, Humeston, Kindalville, Laurel, Lewis, Lucas, LuVerne, Marne, Mechanicsville, Melbourne, Mingo, Montezuma, Montour, Moorhead, New Market, New Sharon, Nora Springs, Palmer, Peterson, Rake, Rembrandt, Rhodes, Royal, Silver City, Stanhope, Stanwood, Tabor, Union, Vincent, Waterville, Wayland, West Branch, West Point and Zearing. This is E-M-S Week in Iowa.
