Last May Dani Dooley survived a cardiac arrest thanks to the quick actions of bystanders and the treatments performed by Plano Fire Department firefighters.  On Tuesday, March 27, the 34-year-old will celebrate a “Second Birthday” with the Plano Fire Department.  He will be presented with an automated external defibrillator (AED), donated by the ZOLL Medical Corporation.  The celebration begins at 2 p.m. at the Plano Fire Department’s Fire Administration Building, 1901 K Avenue in Plano.

In sudden cardiac arrest, the heart suddenly stops beating normally and an AED is able to shock the heart back into a normal rhythm by means of an electric current.  To be most effective, defibrillation must occur as soon as possible after the onset of the cardiac arrest.