Episode 6

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Published on:

23rd Apr 2025

In Business to Save Lives:  A Conversation with LifeSavers Inc’s Bob Stickel

When it’s your job to save lives, you’d better be good at it. You need heart and passion, yes. But you also need a good business sense, excellent people skills and the ability to get the job done. Because when a life needs saved, there’s more than just your business name on the line.

In this episode of Save Heart Stories, host Dave Fritzsche, founder of SaveHeart by HeartNation interviews Bob Stickel, the founder of Life Savers, Inc., discussing his journey from EMT to entrepreneur, the challenges faced in the AED industry, and the importance of community training in CPR and AED use. 

They explore the paradox of increasing AED placements without a corresponding rise in survival rates, the need for more public access to AEDs, and the future of outdoor AED placements. Bob emphasizes the importance of training and community engagement to save lives and shares insights on the evolving landscape of emergency response.

Takeaways

-Bob Stickel founded Life Savers in 1992 to increase AED accessibility.

-Only a small percentage of cardiac arrest victims receive immediate CPR.

-Community training is essential for increasing survival rates.

-Survival rates for cardiac arrest remain stagnant even though more AED’s are available.

-There is a need for more AEDs in public spaces and homes.

-Training programs in schools can empower others to respond to emergencies.

-Consolidation in the AED industry may hinder local service and support.

-Outdoor AED placements are a new frontier for saving lives.

-Life Savers is committed to providing quality training and support for AED programs.


Chapters

00:20 Introduction to Life Savers and Bob Stickel

01:30 Bob's Journey from EMT to Entrepreneur

04:38 Challenges in the AED Industry

07:01 The Paradox of AED Placement and Survival Rates

10:08 The Importance of Training and Community Engagement

11:51 Addressing Cardiac Arrest in Urban and Rural Areas

13:48 Positive Trends and Technology in AED Use

17:16 The Future of Outdoor AED Placement

19:54 How to Connect with Life Savers


Helpful Links:  

Bob Stickel, Lifesavers Inc.: https://www.lifesaversinc.com/

Dave Fritzsche at SaveHeart by HeartNation: https://saveheart.life/

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About the Podcast

SaveHeart Stories
Real-life stories of sudden cardiac arrest and the need to place AEDs everywhere people gather- indoors and outside. Because one life lost is too many, these stories matter.
Real Life stories of lives saved, lost, and changed saved due to Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA)- the largest cause of natural death in the United States. The SaveHeart Stories podcast sheds light on how to drastically improve SCA survival rates by placing Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) everywhere people live, work, and play, training more people in basic CPR & AED use, and promoting youth heart screenings to uncover potential heart defects in teenagers.

Every year in the U.S., out-of-hospital SCA claims the lives of 356,000 people, including more than 23,000 teenagers. SCA strikes without warning and affects people from every walk of life, regardless of age, race, gender, ethnicity, or even health profile. While Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) is essential to help blood flow to vital organs after an SCA event, the only real cure for SCA is an electrical shock from an AED, which the American Heart Association recommends should happen within 3 minutes. Sadly, today, less than 10% of SCA victims survive, largely because AEDs aren’t located close enough to where people are.

There is an increasing number of stories in the media about how having an AED saved a precious life, or worse, how not having an AED nearby resulted in a tragic and unnecessary death. SaveHeart Stories should inspire us to do something about it now- individually, and together- so that our stories can change from sadness to celebration- and from tragedy to triumph.

SaveHeart Stories is brought to you by your host, Dave Fritzsche, AED industry veteran and founder of SaveHeart by HeartNation. Proudly ‘Made in the USA,’ SaveHeart’s highly visible, alarmed, lighted, temperature-controlled and 24x7 monitored outdoor cabinets provide immediate visibility & access to lifesaving AEDs, Stop the Bleed Kits, Narcan, and other emergency supplies. They are ideal for parks, athletic fields & courts, trails, schools & universities, business districts, marinas, beaches, and any outdoor locations where people congregate.

To learn more about how Outdoor AEDs can keep your community safer, call 312-953-6928 or email dave@saveheart.life.

About your host

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Dave Fritzsche

Dave Fritzsche has been in the Automated External Defibrillator (AED) industry for over 25 years
This includes 2 stints at AED manufacturer Defibtech- as initial investor, VP of Sales & Marketing, VP of Business Development, and Executive Committee Member. Working with truly innovative products and an outstanding team, Dave helped take Defibtech from unknown AED start-up to a major industry player. In 2007, Defibtech was named as the fastest growing medical device company in the U.S. by Deloitte & Touche and was acquired in 2012 by Nihon Kohden Corporation. In 2016, Dave helped launch the Lifeline ARM automated CPR device.

In 2006, Dave was diagnosed with apical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) and an abnormal EKG
Fortunately, annual check-ups have not shown an increased thickening of his heart muscle over time. Still, his diagnosis and experience is the reason behind SaveHeart’s support of several not-for-profit organizations focused on enabling greater AED access and increased SCA awareness and prevention. This includes many local organizations founded by parents who have lost a child to SCA, as well as various heart screening organizations that help detect heart defects & abnormalities in teenagers. He considers himself lucky to work with and support such incredible people & organizations who share a mission to promote greater AED access, enhanced heart screening efforts and breakthrough monitoring technology to help eliminate unnecessary SCA deaths.