Metrolink installs defibrillators on all trains

Southern California’s Metrolink installed Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) on all trains operating in the agency’s six-county service region and is providing hands-on and online resources to demonstrate the life-saving technology to employees, riders, and the public.

An AED is a portable electronic device that automatically diagnoses certain life-threatening cardiac conditions and treats them through the application of electricity.

Working on a parallel path in Sacramento, in 2018 the California Legislature passed Senate Bill (SB) 502, which required installation of AEDs on commuter rail systems in California by July 1, 2020.

In April 2018, the Metrolink Board of Directors authorized the expenditure of $207,600 for the purchase and installation of the 57 AEDs.

According to the American Heart Association, each year in the U.S., more than 350,000 cardiac arrests occur outside of a hospital setting and administering a shock from an AED within the first minute can save nine in 10 victims.