RICHMOND, Va., March 31 /PRNewswire/ -- CarMax, Inc. , the nation's leading specialty retailer of used cars, announced it will lease 100 automatic external defibrillator (AED) units and train its associates required to operate them. During the next three months, CarMax will install AEDs in its 50 used car superstores, 12 new car franchises, corporate headquarters and CarMax Auto Finance office. Following installation, the American Heart Association (AHA) and Medtronic, supplier of the machines and coordinator of AED programs, will train a minimum of five associates in each location on AED operation and cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
"People can joke about a retailer that sells cars installing AEDs in its stores, but the facts are no laughing matter. Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women nationwide," said Austin Ligon, president and chief executive officer of CarMax, Inc. "A study done by the AHA that showed people with sudden cardiac arrest were twice as likely to survive if they had an attack in a public place equipped with an AED. So, with almost ten thousand CarMax associates in our stores and headquarters, and hundreds of thousands of customers visiting our stores each year, it just makes sense to invest in AEDs as a safety measure."
The AEDs, currently installed in select malls, airplanes, health clubs, schools, and government and senior centers nationwide, are easy to operate. If it is suspected that someone has suffered a cardiac arrest, a trained user takes the AED off the wall, asks a colleague to call 9-1-1, opens the AED, listens to its voice prompts, places electrode pads on the person's chest, and allows the machine to decide whether the person's heart should be shocked. If the machine determines a shock is needed, it administers the shock itself. As a safety precaution, the machine will administer a shock only when it determines such action is necessary.
"We applaud CarMax for its focus on safety, and for being the first auto retail chain to install these machines in all locations as part of Save Lives Now! Richmond," said Linda Vines, vice president of health initiatives for the AHA. "With approximately 340,000 deaths attributed to cardiac arrest each year, our aim is that in any high-traffic public place where risk for a cardiac event is high, an AED will be available and trained staff will respond quickly and effectively and ultimately help save lives."
About CarMax
CarMax, a Fortune 500 company, is the nation's leading specialty retailer of used cars. Headquartered in Richmond, Va., CarMax currently operates 50 used car superstores in 24 markets. CarMax also operates 12 new car franchises, all of which are integrated or co-located with its used car superstores. During the twelve month period ended February 29, 2004, the company sold 224,099 used cars, which is 91 percent of the total 245,740 vehicles the company sold during that period. For more information, access the CarMax Web site at http://www.carmax.com/.
Contacts:
General Media:
Lisa Van Riper, Director of Public Affairs, (804) 935-4594
Merry Collins, Public Affairs Specialist, (804) 747-0422, x4197
Investors and Financial Media:
Dandy Barrett, Director of Investor Relations, (804) 935-4591
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