Smithtown Officials Approve AEDs at Memorial Park

After nearly a year and a half policy struggle, Smithtown's elected officials have approved the placement of two AEDs up at Memorial Park in Kings Park. 

Smithtown Town Board approved a policy at their Tuesday board meeting that will allow two AEDs, donated by Kings Park Youth Athletic Association, to be stored at Memorial Park to help save a life if necessary, Times of Smithtown reports. 

Kings Park Youth Association has requested permission to keep two AEDs, portable devices that check for heart rhythm and can administer an electric shock to restore it to normal, at the town-owned Memorial Park since 2012 as their baseball, softball, basketball, football and cheerleading teams play and practice there. 

However, town officials initially refused to place in 2012 them due to concerns that the units could be vandalized or stolen, and then the town could wind up being held liable. 

Town attorney John Zollo and Councilman Ed Werheim both suggested the organization bring the units back and forth to games, but John McQuaid, a board member of the youth association, said having more than 1,000 kids and 65 teams made that difficult and questioned the sensibility of the decision, noting that public schools are required to have them.

Smithtown officials then accepted donated of AEDs from Kings Park Youth Associations in May 2012, making clear a compromise was being worked on.

The town implemented a new AED policy in October that requires any team that anyone who uses the field must have four people certified to use the machine and they must be kept in accessible locations.

Read more on Times of Smithtown about the town's agreement to place AEDs at Memorial Park.