Crew truck AEDs boost safety for workers and the general public
CHICAGO—Were it not for the quick thinking of his co-workers and a nearby automated external defibrillator, Ameren Illinois employee Mike Pulke might have died when he went into cardiac arrest at the company’s Mount Vernon Operating Center. Instead, his story has a happy ending, and Pulke is back on the job as a gas control technician.
The incident also gave a boost to a plan calling for the installation of AEDs on crew trucks, utility spokesman Brian Bretsch told American Gas.
When Pulke had his heart attack in 2014, the AEDs were installed only in operating centers. Now, Ameren Illinois has equipped 239 of its trucks with the devices to enhance both workplace and community safety.
The utility’s safety group got together and wrote the proposal to install AEDs, and it was adopted almost immediately, at a cost of about $300,000, Bretsch said.
“Mike’s story was used as an example,” he said. “It made the proposal to senior leadership more powerful.”
Ameren Illinois Chairman and President Richard Mark said there are inherent dangers in keeping the lights on and natural gas flowing. Employees are trained in the use of the AEDs, CPR and general first aid. Although the primary focus of the AED initiative is workplace safety, employees have the ability to assist members of the general public who are experiencing a medical emergency.
“These AEDs will provide our co-workers with an accessible tool that they can use in an emergency situation,” Mark said. — Monica von Dobeneck