A. The Legislature of Louisiana finds that each year more than three hundred fifty thousand Americans die from out-of-hospital sudden cardiac arrest. More than ninety-five percent of these Americans die, in many cases because a lifesaving defibrillator did not arrive at the scene of the emergency in time.

            B. The American Heart Association estimates that more than twenty thousand deaths may be prevented each year if defibrillators were more widely available to designated responders.

            C. Many communities throughout the state and nation have invested in 911 emergency response systems, emergency personnel, and ambulance vehicles. However, many of these communities do not have enough defibrillators in their community.

            D. It is therefore the intent of the legislature to encourage greater acquisition, deployment, and use of automated external defibrillators in communities throughout the state.

            Acts 1999, No. 825, §1; Redesignated from La. Rev. Stat. 40:1236.11 by HCR 84 of 2015 R.S.