Former Fire Commissioner Delivers A Shock Kanner Training U.S. Army Soldiers

SPRING HILL - Life-saving equipment means more than body armor in the U.S. Army.

A former Spring Hill fire commissioner, now Skipper Richard Martin, will be docking in Tampa this weekend with the rest of his small fleet of U.S. Army reserve ships.

The Morehead City, N.C.,-based unit is making a brief stop before heading out to pick up some old equipment from the Bahamas. Before they ship out, though, they will pick up a valuable tool for their cargo.

It's called an automated external defibrillator, or AED, and it delivers a power jolt to stimulate the heart of a person suffering cardiac arrest. Martin said Monday the military is in the process of acquiring them for his fleet, but up until this point none of the ships have one.

Enter Bob Kanner.

Kanner is also a former fire commissioner, but the arrangement is more than an old favor for a friend.

"I'm a very firm believer in saving lives," said Kanner, a part-time cardiopulmonary resuscitation instructor. "Standing around watching is a terrible thing. Anything you're able to do is better than nothing at all."

On Saturday morning, Kanner will certify a group of soldiers through training on the device. The added bonus is that they can take that training off the ship and use it anywhere an AED is found.

Kanner gives credit to his supplier, American Safety and Health Institute, for loaning Martin the $1,800 machine for his voyage free of charge.

Being proactive and getting the machine aboard now is better than "waiting until the last minute," Martin said.