It's hard to believe that it's about six years since I first started banging my drum about defibrillators on this forum. I think that the message has got across to a degree, but there's still a long way to go, particularly since it's obvious that the biggest killer in the industry appears to be gradient shocks when setting poles amongst live wires. Situations that result in the type of shock that AEDs can help recover a heartbeat from. So here's a quick sum-up of what's been posted in the past.
The whole AED (Automatic External Defibrillator) story starts in the early days of American linework when the fatality rate was so high that the electrical companies approached an electrical engineer and paid him to study the possibility of using a shock to recover the heartbeat of a shocked lineman. Initially the research centred on the use of a transformer on a cart which was used to deliver large AC shocks to try and cause whole heart contraction to restore uniform sync to it. It evolved over time (discovering CPR along the way) to the modern units that provide very safe and accurate pulses of current to maximise the possibility of resyncing the patients heart.
Y'see, the human body has a bit of a weakness when it comes to electric shock.... The heart. It relies on a large number of muscles beating in sync to create bloodflow to the brain and body, and when a shock is received that affects part of the heart it can knock the muscles out of sync and stop the pumping action from occurring properly. This is where the defibrillator comes into play. A modern defibrillator applies very complex analysis to the remaining heartbeat and will only recommend a shock if it knows that the heart is in a state of fibrillation. It will not apply a shock if the heart is beating properly or sadly if it is flatlined. The heart has a very characteristic electrical pattern when beating and the modern units can analyse what's left of the heartbeat and apply a synchronising pulse at EXACTLY the correct point in time to maximise the chances of recovery.
It's VERY important that if a lineman is shocked in a life threatening manner that assistance is given as fast as possible. For every second that passes the chance of survival drops at an alarming rate. Even before the AED is applied the rescuers should be applying heart compressions to keep the oxygenated blood in the body flowing to the brain.
When an AED is opened it gives spoken instructions on the placement of the pads that are used to monitor the heart and apply treatment. It then prompts for breaks in the CPR while it analyses the heartbeat, advising on the best treatment as it does so.
AEDs are not big clumsy or specialist machines any more. They are readily available units that can be bought for home use by any individual. they typically cost in the region of $1000 which is less than many tools associated with linework. They are rugged machines that can safely be chucked in the cab of a linetruck as part of the first-aid kit.
Any industry that involves working with live power should have these machines issued to all crews doing that work. It's just common sense that a machine ORIGINALLY INVENTED FOR LINEMEN should be carried by them.
Sadly, every year deaths get reported on this forum that could have been prevented if the crew had an AED in their truck. The good news is that more of you ARE carrying AEDs, most likely as a result of the coverage on this forum, and when one does its work and saves a life then that's a story that usually DOESN'T appear here. (Although it would be nice to hear about them too.)
In the future AL line-crews will have AEDs on hand. You can make that happen sooner by raising this issue at your next safety meeting. Imagine how good it would feel if you saved a co-workers life and new that his kids didn't lose their dad that day because you saved him.
So make sure your employer knows that AEDs were invented for linemen and that you'd like yours now.