Arlington Mayor Dr. Robert Cluck

February 1, 2005
Arlington – How has our fitness improved?

My first Mayor’s Message of 2004 was focused on fitness. After beginning the year being named as the 8^th fattest city in the nation by Men’s Fitness magazine, we all worked to improve our health and the health of our neighbors. I am very happy to say that all of our hard work has paid off. The February 2005 issue of Men’s Fitness has named Arlington as the 22^nd fittest city in the nation. That’s the list I want to be on! Besides this important change, there were two other health and fitness highlights from our work last year.

First is the work that the Arlington Fire Department has done to increase the availability of AEDs (Automated External Defibrillators). AEDs are portable, easy to use pieces of equipment that are available in many public areas. They are used to restart the heart, by administering an electrical shock. Every year, heart disease and cardiac arrest strikes an estimated 350,000 people and remains the nation’s leading cause of death. For every minute that passes without defibrillation and CPR, the chance of survival for a cardiac arrest victim decreases by 7 to 10 percent. AEDs are designed to be used by non-health-care professionals, and utilize easy to understand instructions, as well as an automated voice, which prompts the user through the steps of attaching sensor pads to the victim and monitoring the progress of the procedure. An AED will not administer shocks unless it detects a heart rhythm it can correct.

The City of Arlington ended 2004 with 79 AEDs throughout the city, and an additional 13 devices in mobile units such as police cars and paramedic vehicles. Although the devices are primarily located in municipal facilities, such as recreation centers, many have also been purchased by private entities like businesses and churches. AEDs and their location are registered with the City’s Dispatch Services Department. When a call comes into 911 indicating that someone is in cardiac arrest, the 911 operator will immediately know if there is an AED at that location. If the caller is not currently using the AED or does not know where it is, the operator can give instructions on where to find the AED.

Because AEDs can make such a difference in the survival rate of heart attack victims, I am committed to increasing their number throughout the city. Partnering with the Arlington Fire Department, we have also reached out to the churches of Arlington, inviting them to purchase AEDs with the assistance of our Fire personnel. As a result, many churches are now looking into purchasing AEDs and training key staff and church members on how to use them in case of emergency. Any entity or group interested in purchasing an AED can contact my office at (817) 459-6121.

Second, while saving people who have had heart attacks is incredibly important, we have also focused effort on preventing those heart attacks from happening in the first place, by increasing our residents’ fitness levels. During a hot week in June, Mayor Moncrief and I competed to see who could walk the most steps in five days, and to encourage the citizens of Arlington and Fort Worth to do the same. You will be proud to know that when the results were announced, Arlington had prevailed by quite a margin!

Arlington’s focus on fitness continued through to October, when the first ever Mayor’s Health and Fitness Fair was held at the Elzie Odom Recreation Center. At that event, we handed out 200 pedometers, devices used to measure the number of steps a person takes. We challenged residents to beat my mark of 68,653 steps taken in five days during my competition with Mayor Moncrief. Many Arlington residents stepped up to the challenge and several of them did beat me in the competition.

As we enter a new year, I encourage you to continue with any fitness efforts you may have begun in 2004 or develop some to try for 2005. As a physician, I believe that the single most important determining factor in a healthy and long life, besides genetics, is physical fitness. All it takes to increase your fitness level is 30 minutes of activity four times a week that will raise your heart beat above 110 beats per minute. No matter what you choose, walking in your neighborhood, biking with your family, or jogging at one of our many public parks; find something you like to do and keep it up. Join your fellow Arlington residents in getting fit during the New Year. [http://www.ci.arlington.tx.us/mayor/signature_cluck.html]