Walt Disney World for the first time is installing electronic devices that can revive cardiac-arrest victims at some of the resort's most intense thrill rides. The company plans to install automated external defibrillators at nearly two dozen attractions across its four theme parks, including high-speed rides such as Expedition Everest, Mission: Space and the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. The move continues a push that Disney has made in the past year to distribute more of the portable lifesaving devices within its theme parks. It also comes about a year after 44-year-old Jeffery C. Reeb of Navarre suffered a heart attack while riding the Everest roller coaster in Disney's Animal Kingdom. No defibrillator was immediately available to Reeb, who died Dec. 18, 2007. At the time, just three of the 500 devices Disney had so far installed across its 47-square-mile property were in Animal Kingdom. Today, however, at least 14 of the now-700 defibrillators at Disney World are in the Animal Kingdom, with most positioned by restrooms. And the park is scheduled to get four more at various attractions. Disney says the decision to add more defibrillators at individual rides was not spurred by Reeb's death. Medical specialists said at the time that it was impossible to say whether an immediate jolt from a defibrillator could have helped Reeb, who authorities ultimately determined suffered from an enlarged heart. "This decision is really part of our continuous enhancement to safety," Disney spokeswoman Andrea Finger said. Speed is crucial Automated external defibrillators, often referred to as AEDs, have become increasingly widespread in recent years, sprouting in airports, health clubs and more. The devices are designed to deliver an electronic shock to the heart of someone in cardiac arrest, causing the heart to rapidly contract and, hopefully, resume a normal beat. But the effectiveness of a defibrillator depends on how quickly it is used. The American Heart Association says the devices are most effective when used within three to five minutes of collapse; a victim's odds of survival drop as much as 10 percent every minute that passes without immediate CPR and defibrillation. Businesses use those rules when determining where to deploy defibrillators, which typically cost $1,500 to $2,000 each, according to the heart association. "You should be able to walk from where the event occurred, get the AED and be back within three minutes," said Scott Weisman, general manager of Pulse America, which provides health and safety compliance and training to businesses. Disney launched its own defibrillator program in 2001, installing about 600 combined at Disney World, Disneyland and onboard its two cruise ships. Many early defibrillators were positioned with trained responders, at security outposts, first-aid stations and on mobile units. But as the devices became easier to use -- some newer models audibly instruct users and sense whether the victim is suffering from a problem that requires a shock before actually delivering one -- Disney began to deploy them in more public areas. State lawmakers have also given businesses that install defibrillators protections from lawsuits. Many added in 2007 In November 2007, a month before Reeb's death, the company announced that it would install an additional 200 at Disney World and 50 more at Disneyland, with a "significant number" to be deployed in public restrooms across both resorts. "As AEDs have become increasingly common in public areas and more people, including more of our guests, have been trained in their use, it's fitting that we enhanced the availability of those devices to complement the efforts of professional emergency responders," Finger said Friday. Disney last year placed defibrillators in some attractions, such as Kilimanjaro Safaris and the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular. But it is now deploying them to many more. Altogether, Disney says it is installing another 30 of the devices -- boosting the total number at Disney World to about 730 -- with about two dozen at individual attractions and the remainder in employee areas. A number of the resort's less-intense rides and shows, such as The Haunted Mansion and Mickey's PhilharMagic, are among the rides scheduled to get the devices. The defibrillator at Everest will be installed in the roller coaster's unloading area. Experts say it is not surprising Disney has not already stationed defibrillators at some thrill rides. Other locations are higher priorities, they say. Prime spots for devicesBathrooms are particularly effective spots for defibrillators, said Janet Celli, co-founder of Orlando-based CPR Associates of America, which instructs businesses on defibrillator deployment. That's in part because people who suffer the start of a heart attack or who are choking -- both of which can lead to cardiac arrest -- often head for bathrooms, Celli said. Disney World also has a number of settings beyond its park rides where experts recommend stationing defibrillators. The Sudden Cardiac Arrest Association, for instance, says studies show people are more likely to suffer cardiac arrest in locations such as golf courses, ferry and train terminals and sports complexes, among other spots. Experts say other important spots include reception areas, hotel lobbies, restaurants and hard-to-reach restricted areas. Elliott Fisch, president of Atrus, a Boca Raton company that has developed programs to help emergency dispatchers more quickly locate portable defibrillators, said installing the devices at more rides is a logical next step for Disney. He called Disney "the world leader in deployment of these devices." "What it strikes me as is [Disney] being even more diligent," Fisch said. Jason Garcia can be reached at jrgarcia@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5414. http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business ... ory?page=2
Locations include the following: ; ; * Magic Kingdom ; ; ; ; ; o Splash Mountain ; ; ; ; ; o Big Thunder Mountain ; ; ; ; ; o Haunted Mansion ; ; ; ; ; o Pirates of the Caribbean ; ; ; ; ; o Mickey's PhilharMagic ; ; ; ; ; o Stitch's Great Escape ; ; ; ; ; o Monsters Inc Laugh Floor ; ; ; ; ; o Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin ; ; * Epcot ; ; ; ; ; o Test Track ; ; ; ; ; o Mission: Space ; ; ; ; ; o Soarin' ; ; ; ; ; o Journey Into Your Imagination With Figment ; ; ; ; ; o Honey I Shrunk the Audience ; ; ; ; ; o Gran Fiesta Tour ; ; ; ; ; o Walt Disney Imagineering Main Building (backstage) ; ; * Disney's Hollywood Studios ; ; ; ; ; o Tower of Terror ; ; ; ; ; o Rock 'n' Roller Coaster ; ; ; ; ; o Star Tours ; ; ; ; ; o Studio Backlot Tour ; ; * Disney's Animal Kingdom ; ; ; ; ; o Dinosaur ; ; ; ; ; o Kali River Rapids ; ; ; ; ; o Expedition Everest ; ; ; ; ; o It's Tough to Be a Bug The AEDs will be installed largely at or near the unload areas of the attractions.
