NCR, one of

Peachtree City's most safety-conscious industries, has just made things

a little safer.

The company

recently purchased an automated external defibrillator, which can help

restore a normal heartbeat to a cardiac arrest victim before emergency

personnel reach the scene.

NCR is the

first industry to purchase an AED, but Christ Our Shepherd Lutheran Church

plans to purchase its first one soon and several other groups have expressed

interest, said Peachtree City firefighter Chris Campbell.

The fire department

is encouraging making the devices commonly available in any areas where

there are large gatherings of people, Campbell said. Jim Christopher of

NCR said the AEDs help improve survivability rates over 25 percent.

"That's

a marked improvement," said Christopher, who is also a volunteer

firefighter.

City Hall,

Kedron Fieldhouse and The Gathering Place senior citizens center have

been equipped with AEDs for some time now, Campbell said. AEDs are also

on many emergency responder vehicles in Peachtree City including police

patrol cars.

Although the

Fire Department's response times are better than the national average,

the extra few seconds between the AED's arrival and the paramedics arrival

can make a big difference, Campbell added.

NCR's AED,

which is encased in a black and yellow box, has simple instructions and

users are aided with a computerized voice. When a medical emergency occurs

at NCR, the box will be carried to the scene along with other equipment

The box has

simple instructions on where to place the electrodes and perform the procedure.

It will communicate if the victim needs to be shocked and all the operator

has to do is push a button to administer the shock.

"You don't

have to be specially trained to operate these things," he said.

The AED unit

chosen by NCR is compatible with equipment used by the fire department,

meaning the electrodes can be unhooked from NCR's machine and plugged

into Peachtree City's equipment so the victim can be taken to the hospital.

NCR's AED also

records the voice of the operator and information received from the electrodes

so they can be studied later on a computer, Campbell said. AEDs typically

cost around $4,000.

Including NCR

employees, temp workers, delivery drivers and visitors, there can be as

many as 700 people in the building at one time, Christopher said.