GEMS | 11
ing community events and have the op-
portunity to gain the credentials to actu-
ally ride along during emergency calls.
Tufts says the program has helped stu-
dents garner greater awareness of career
possibilities, but make no mistake, this
program has also helped save lives. In the
recent case of one family, an Uncle had
come to visit and went into cardiac arrest,
two children who had completed GEMS’
CPR training, administered treatment and
saved the man’s life.
GEMS has also been instrumental
in the distribution of Automated Exter-
nal Defibrillators (AEDS) which can be
found among area schools, libraries, gyms
and beaches, readily accessible for use
should a need ever arise. The police have
also been equipped with these live-saving
tools to complement the EMT training
they are mandated to undertake, but as
Tufts says, “The police here are integral
partners of our service, and they appreci-
ate being able to help in a cardiac arrest
beyond the other kind of arrests they deal
with.”
But with respect to the range of training
and accessibility to AEDS and autopulse
mechanisms, Greenwich has secured dis-
tinction as one of the most “HeartSafe” of
