Officials want to place life-saving devices throughout the county | Maryland Gazette (HometownGlenBurnie.com)

Officials said a properly used automated external defibrillator, or AED, could make all the difference to someone suffering heart problems.

On Thursday, officials pointed to people such as Gary Glennon, who said he thought he was only having a little indigestion when he arrived for work at the police station one day three years ago. He was about to call it an early day when he suddenly blacked out.

He learned later his heart stopped beating and he was revived with a defibrillator. The incident required him to undergo quadruple bypass surgery and he has since recovered.

"(The AED) saved my life and probably saved lots of lives," said Mr. Glennon, now 61, and a maintenance man at the Odenton station. "I didn't know anything about (the AED) before. I saw it in a box before, but I didn't know what it was about."

Thursday, county officials used Mr. Glennon's story and others as a way to emphasize the importance of defibrillators in the workplace.

The immediate use of CPR and a defibrillator makes the survival rate 75 percent, officials said. The devices deliver shocks to the heart of a person who has suffered sudden cardiac arrest, which is when the heart's electrical system short-circuits and stops it from beating properly.

"There's no greater priority than saving lives," County Executive John R. Leopold said. "(Each day) in Anne Arundel County, somebody's heart stops. … The point is to increase the business community and places that have these defibrillators."

In January 2000, County Councilman Cliff R. Roop, R-Severna Park, suffered a massive heart attack during a meeting at the Arundel Center and died. Shortly afterward, Brenda Desjardins formed Heart Smart: the Cliff R. Roop Cardiac Support and Education Foundation. The nonprofit group helps businesses set up defibrillators, as well as learn how to use them.

Since 2000, 50 defibrillators have been placed in the community. Heart Smart members have worked with the sheriff's department, police and fire, as well as the department of recreation. They cost from $2,000 to $2,500, which includes the defibrillators, the case and training.

"We don't know if a defibrillator would have saved (Mr. Roop's) life, but we do know AEDs save lives," Ms. Desjardins said. "There's probably not a department in Anne Arundel County that we haven't hunted or chased down."

Dr. Richard L. Alcorta, the state EMS medical director, said the devices are especially important in areas where lots of people are gathered.

"By bringing AEDs into the community, we're saving many minutes and increasing survival," Dr. Alcorta said. "It makes the public feel more comfortable."