CHAMBERSBURG – According to the American Heart Association, more than 350,000 people will suffer cardiac arrest this year. That’s someone every 90 seconds.
Recognizing the importance of employee and customer safety, F&M Trust recently installed automated external defibrillators (AEDs) at each of its 22 community offices, its mortgage center in Camp Hill, and its regional headquarters in Harrisburg. The bank has three AEDs at its corporate headquarters in Chambersburg.
F&M Trust Security Officer Ray Wills suggested the devices be placed in all bank locations, and the bank’s Wellness Committee saw the project through to completion with the help of F&M Trust’s facilities department, which installed the AEDs.
“Our employees care not only about the health and safety of one another, but they show genuine care and concern for those living in our communities,” F&M Trust President and CEO Tim Henry said. “This project to place potentially lifesaving AEDs at each of our locations is yet another example of that altruistic spirit.”
Currently, the only way to restore a regular heart rhythm during cardiac arrest is to use an AED. And because the average response time for first responders once 911 is called is 8 to 12 minutes, having access to an AED and knowing how to use it can save a life.
“Immediate CPR and defibrillation are key to our goal of doubling the survival rate of cardiac arrest by 2030, and we are grateful for local businesses, organizations, and trusted community leaders like F&M Trust who are stepping up to help us reach this goal,” said Ashley Schade, Regional Vice President of Development for the American Heart Association. “Improving access to AEDs wherever people live and work strengthens this key link in the chain of survival.”
About F&M Trust: A subsidiary of Franklin Financial Services Corp., F&M Trust is an independent community bank headquartered in Chambersburg. With approximately $1.7 billion in assets, F&M Trust has 22 community-banking locations in Franklin, Cumberland, Fulton, and Huntingdon counties in Pennsylvania, and in Washington County, Maryland. Please visit fmtrust.bank
