Parks all across Barrington will soon be equipped with AEDs.

Members of the Barrington Town Council recently approved bids to purchase 16 automated external defibrillators. Ten of the AEDs will be placed at athletic fields and other recreation facilities, including the St. Andrew’s Farm Field, Haines Park and Police Cove. Six of the AEDs will replace existing units in town buildings and in public safety vehicles. 

The effort to bring AEDs to local parks and athletic facilities started with the Barrington Park and Recreation Commission. The idea gained traction with the Barrington Town Council and in January, the council voted 5-0 to purchase 10 AEDs and place them at sports fields, tennis courts and various parks. 

On March 3, Barrington Fire Chief Gerald Bessette discussed three bids — one was for a new electronic message board, and the two others focused on AEDs. 

The first AED bid was for 10 units for a total cost of $30,719. Chief Bessette said the AEDs would come in boxes that could be mounted and heated (a necessary function as the boxes will also contain Narcan). 

The chief explained how the AED boxes would work: Anyone who needs to access the AEDs would call 911, and that call would be connected with the Barrington Public Safety building, he said. The dispatcher would provide the caller with a code to open the box and access the AED — the dispatcher would also send a first responder to the scene.

The second bid was for six AEDs that will replace existing units in town. That bid was for $11,261. Both bids were from Life Support Systems, of Dedham, Mass. Chief Bessette said the town will use money from the opioid settlement funds to purchase the AEDs. 

The bids also included two years of contracted maintenance for the AEDs.

Councilor Kate Berard asked Chief Bessette what would happen after the two years pass. He said the town could either renew the contract or handle the maintenance in-house. Chief Bessette said the price for the AEDs was actually less, so he wrapped in the two-year maintenance contract with the bid cost.

Berard also spoke about the locations where the AEDs will be placed. She said members of the Barrington Park and Recreation Commission had given careful consideration about where to locate the defibrillators, adding that the fire department and DPW could also collaborate on the locations. 

She then listed off the parks chosen by the park and recreation commission: Barrington High School athletic fields, Barrington Middle School athletic fields, St. Andrew’s Farm Field, Haines Park (athletic fields near the dog park), Sherwood Park, Veterans Park, Police Cove Park, Chianese Park, Barrington High School tennis courts, and Latham Park. 

Berard said commission members also compiled a list of parks that could host AEDs in the future: Sowams Road field, Kent Street courts, Haines Park (larger baseball field near Washington Road), Hampden Meadows School, and Bicknell Field.