Life-saving devices have become increasingly prominent on Iowa State’s campus.

Automatic electronic defibrillators are starting to become common rescue devices, and the number of them has increased on campus in the past year.

Twenty-two units are now on campus, according to a university press release.

Jerry Rupert, program coordinator for Recreation Services, said building supervisors are trained in CPR and in defibrillator usage. He said defibrillators are fairly simple to use.

“It walks you right through how to use them,” he said.

The difficult part is using them in a stressful situation.

“If you have the training background, you get into the mindset,” Rupert said.

All athletic facilities have defibrillators, but Rupert said he thinks it is an important item the university should consider putting in class buildings.

The machines have been proven to save lives, something an ISU professor found out first-hand.

Clyde Walter, professor in logistics operations and management information systems, was playing basketball in Beyer Hall when he collapsed with a heart attack. Alisa Link, building coordinator of Rec services and junior in health and human performance, performed rescue breathing for Walter.

“CPR isn’t going to do anything for the most part when someone’s having a heart attack,” Link said. “It just gives oxygen to the brain. It’s not going to start the heart again.”

Link said she has only practiced using a defibrillator with her annual training with her job.

Timothy Weesner, athletic trainer for Rec services, used the defibrillator to save Walter’s life.

He said the defibrillators are accessible to all athletes at the recreation centers, but also thinks more buildings should have them. Not necessarily every building, but at least every few, with a notification system, Weesner said.

Link agreed, given how effective the devices are, especially since tragedy can strike at any given time.

“This can happen to younger people,” she said. “Either if they have heart problems or get hit in the chest really hard.”

With the defibrillators comes the responsibility of knowing how and when to use the machines, Weesner said.

“The actual mechanical use of the machine is simple,” he said. “The most difficult part is calming down and understanding the emergency situation.”

Not every level of CPR training prepares people for defibrillator usage. Weesner said he has been trained at a professional rescue level, and everyone could benefit from that training.

“Knowing how to use an AED and practice using it would help anyone in an emergency situation,” he said.

Any building can get a unit, and the Environmental Health and Safety Department covers the cost of installation.