On June 5, Duncan Foster was at the Cal Ripken baseball fields in Portage, when he went into cardiac arrest. In these sorts of situations, a machine called an automated external defibrillator (AED) can help improve the chances of survival. But even if AEDs are present, they aren't always easy to get to.
That was the case in Portage. Park Superintendent Dyan Leto said the site has an AED, but it was locked in a concession stand that was closed at the time because it happened during practice.
"If you put them publicly where everybody can reach them, there's vandalism," Leto told the city council Tuesday. "They're not cheap. They're about $500 each."
An off-duty police officer, Lieutenant Chris Burch, happened to be there and saw what was happening, according to Police Chief Michael Candiano. "Lieutenant Burch immediately contacted Porter County dispatch and began CPR," Candiano told council members. "Lieutenant Burch continued administering safe-saving measures until the Portage Fire Department arrived and took over. On June 15, Mr. Foster was released from the hospital and returned home. There is no doubt Lieutenant Burch was instrumental in saving Mr. Foster's life."
Candiano presented Burch with the Portage Police Department's Lifesaving Award during Tuesday's council meeting. Now, Leto says she's looking into ways to make the city's AEDs more accessible while protecting them from vandalism — something she's calling the "Duncan Plan."