A. The legislature finds that:

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(1)     each year more than three hundred fifty thousand Americans die from out- of-hospital sudden cardiac arrest;

(2)     the American heart association estimates that more than twenty thousand deaths could be prevented each year if early defibrillation were more widely available. In cardiac arrest the first several minutes are the most crucial time in which performing defibrillation can significantly improve chances for survival;

(3)     the reality is that even in the best emergency medical services systems, emergency medical technicians or first responders may not always be able to arrive during that critical window of time; and

(4)     virtually all communities in New Mexico have invested in 911 emergency response systems, emergency medical personnel and ambulance vehicles. However, many of them do not have enough defibrillators in their community [communities].

B. It is the purpose of the Cardiac Arrest Response Act to encourage greater acquisition, deployment and use of automated external defibrillators in communities across the state.