LOVELL — Poland Spring Water Co. has donated $1,200 for the purchase of an automated external defibrillator for the Fryeburg/Lovell VFW Post on Smarts Hill Road. The defibrillator will be used in case of cardiac arrhythmia emergencies at community events held at the VFW Post building serving area veterans.

The AED donation was the result of a request from Henry Middlemiss, an active community member and member of the post. Middlemiss stopped by Poland Spring’s office in Fryeburg to make the case for a defibrillator to Mark Dubois, the company’s natural resource manager.

“Our VFW building hosts a good many events every year for Boys Scouts and others organizations, but especially for senior citizens,” Middlemiss said. “We know that minutes count when someone goes into cardiac arrest and that having a defibrillator could save someone’s life.”

A defibrillator delivers an electrical current through the chest in order to shock the heart back into a normal rhythm, allowing it to pump again. The longer the brain is starved of oxygen, the more damage that can occur, so a rapid response can improve the quality of life of a survivor.

Dubois coordinated with the Fryeburg Fire & Rescue Department to ensure the defibrillator was the same type the department used, so rescue personnel would be familiar with the equipment. This AED model uses simple text and voice directions to guide inexperienced and experienced rescuers through the process.