McCullough nominated for statewide award

By JOHN MUNFORD
jmunford@TheCitizenNews.com

Deputy Chief Allen McCullough of the Fayette County Department of Fire and Emergency Services has been nominated for a prestigious statewide award program operated by Gov. Roy Barnes.

McCullough is one of 75 people across Georgia nominated for the third annual Governor's Public Safety Awards. The winners will be announced at an Oct. 25 ceremony at the Georgia Public Safety Training Center in Forsyth.

Honorees will have their names engraved into a special monument at the center. Last year, 23 public safety officials received this special award.

Officials from the American Heart Association nominated McCullough for the Outstanding Contribution to Profession category. He was specifically cited for his support of a statewide movement to place automatic external defibrillators (AEDs) in first-response vehicles such as police cars and fire trucks.

AEDs are used along with CPR to help patients suffering cardiac arrest. The devices can automatically deliver a shock if needed to restore a patient's normal heart rhythm.

AEDs, which are in many local police cars and fire engines, are used before EMTs can get on the scene to render assistance. That helps since those vehicles get to a scene typically one or two minutes before ambulances can, said FCDFES Capt. Pete Nelms.

"Fayette County has had a great success rate with AEDs," said John Smiles, a spokesman for the AHA.

Not only has McCullough spearheaded the implementation of AEDs here in Fayette County, he has written grants for other cities in Georgia who have done the same thing, Smiles said.

"It's just him being a good citizen," Smiles said of McCullough's work for the AHA. McCullough serves as the AHA's primary spokesperson for AED programs and he also helped write state legislation that helps keep good samaritan rescuers from being sued for their efforts, Smiles added.

Smiles considers McCullough "the expert" on the subject of AED usage and implementation.

"He has been instrumental in securing additional funds," Smiles said, estimating that McCullough's grant writing skills have led to over $300,000 for AED programs throughout the state.

McCullough, who was not available for an interview at press time, has estimated that the AEDs in Fayette County have increased the rate of lives saved by 20 percent, Nelms said.

Now that police vehicles and fire engines in Fayette County have AEDs, the push will soon be on to add the life-saving devices to industrial plants, shopping centers, large businesses and other sizeable public places, Nelms said.

"We're not going to stop here," Nelms said, adding that the Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) will soon pitch the usage of the AEDs to local industries.

The AHA wants to reduce the death rate from cardiac arrests and strokes by 25 percent by the year 2010, Smiles said. McCullough's work with promoting AEDs has certainly helped work toward that goal, Smiles added.

"He's a wonderful spokesperson for us," Smiles said. "He certainly plays a role any time we try to put the AED program into other markets and cities."

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