Homeowners donate defibrillator in honor of late Dunwoody resident

DUNWOODY, Ga. (FOX 5 Atlanta) - He helped raise tens of thousands of dollars to save other people's lives and Sunday, a group of homeowners made a donation in honor of Bob Lundsten.

In 2009, Lundsten spearheaded the effort to raise the $70,000 needed to outfit each Dunwoody Police Department patrol car with an automated external defibrillator (AED).

"When someone goes into sudden cardiac arrest, an AED can mean the difference between life and death," explained Dunwoody Police Sgt. Robert Parsons.

In the last ten years, Parsons said officers have used the AEDs 53 times, saving ten lives.

Currently, the department has 71 defibrillators including some that are scattered throughout City Hall and the police station in case of emergency.

Lundsten died in January and board members with the Dunwoody Homeowners Association decided to honor his legacy by donating enough money to pay for an AED at the city's new police training and community facility on Shallowford Road. 

"A lot of people don't realize the details necessary to protect us in an emergency and when an emergency comes on top of you, you forget your name.  You have no idea how to react," said DHA President Adrienne Duncan.  "So, if you think about having these tools and procedures in place before an emergency happens, it prevents an emergency from turning into a tragedy."

This is the second AED donated in Lundsten's memory.

Sgt. Parsons said the AEDs that the city purchased ten years ago will soon age out and need to be replaced.  Anyone interested in making a donation should contact the Dunwoody Police Department.