During a Monday Night Football game against the Cincinnati Bengals on January 2, 2023, safety Damar Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest after making a tackle. Thankfully, he survived and was released from the hospital nine days later.

Six months after the incident, Hamlin embarked on a multicity tour to promote education and training in CPR and the use of automated external defibrillators (AEDs), which helped save his life in January.

Last July, Moravian’s Environmental Health and Safety Officer, Eric Snyder, secured the donation of 14 AEDs from the East Allen Township Volunteer Ambulance Corps, adding to the six the university already had. “As a CPR instructor and an EMT, this is something I’m very passionate about,” Snyder says. “I’ve seen the effects on family and friends, and it’s one of those things where a lot of cases could have been prevented had the resources and training been available.

“You could be looking at 10 to 15 minutes before EMS or fire arrive, so time is critical,” Snyder adds. “If someone can start CPR or administer the AED within the first couple of minutes, the chances of survival for that person increase significantly.”

According to the American Heart Association, a person’s chance of surviving drops by 7 to 10 percent every minute a normal heartbeat isn’t restored, so immediate CPR and AED use can double or triple the person’s chance of survival.

AEDs are designed to be user-friendly, even for individuals without medical training, guiding users through the process with simple instructions and visual prompts. This makes it possible for bystanders to provide lifesaving treatment before professional medical help arrives. Receiving immediate CPR and an electric shock from a defibrillator are the key drivers of survival for the roughly 350,000 US adults who go into cardiac arrest outside of a hospital each year.

In addition to being a CPR instructor and EMT, Snyder is also on the board of directors of the East Allen Township Volunteer Ambulance Corps, which is how they learned of the university’s need for AEDs. “I mentioned that Moravian had a need for more AEDs, and the rest of the board members decided that they wanted to do something,” Snyder says.

Back in July, the board of supervisors of East Allen Township voted to change the provider of Basic Life Support Emergency Medical Services because of a critical crisis in Pennsylvania regarding staffing and fiscal funding of emergency medical services. “Among their dissolution processes, they wanted to give back to the community as part of their legacy,” Snyder says. “They felt this would not only benefit Moravian University but the local Bethlehem community as well.”

Previously, the university had maintained stationary AEDs only in the Sally Breidegam Miksiewicz Center for Health Sciences, Johnston Hall, and Foy Concert Hall on South Campus; the rest were either with campus police in their cruisers or with each assigned athletic trainer.

Now, the AEDs are spread out across campus, including at the HUB, Reeves Library, the Makuvek Field press box, and all five student residence halls.

Snyder wants to secure even more AEDs for Moravian’s campuses. “We’re trying to acquire more funding to get them, along with conducting more awareness programs for students, staff, and faculty, coordinated through United Student Government,” Snyder says.

“For prospective students, and especially their families, this donation from the East Allen Township Volunteer Ambulance Corps gives them the assurance that the university is doing everything it can to protect their community and make sure everybody’s safe.”