ZOLL To Distribute Over 5,000 AEDs To Australia Fire Service

CHELMSFORD, Mass. – ZOLL(R) Medical Corporation (Nasdaq GS: ZOLL), a manufacturer of medical devices and related software solutions, announced today that it has received an award from the Government of NSW Australia to provide 5,450 AED Plus(R)devices for installation on all Rural Fire Service stations deployed throughout the State of New South Wales (NSW).

The installation of the ZOLL AED Plus devices is part of a major public health policy initiative to make AEDs more accessible to the citizens of NSW when cardiac arrest occurs. ZOLL expects to receive benefit from this order over the course of 2011.

Survival from out-of-hospital sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) in Australia remains poor, with approximately less than 10 percent of victims leaving the hospital alive; approximately 20,000 Australians die from SCA every year. The Australian Resuscitation Council has advocated the wider deployment of AEDs since rapid defibrillation and CPR quality significantly impact potential survival from SCA.

The initiative was announced yesterday by the NSW Premier Kristina Keneally. The Rural Fire Service of NSW maintains fire protection and emergency services throughout the state through an organization of volunteers and professional members in brigades throughout the State. As part of the deployment, these employees will receive training in the use of the AED Plus for emergency defibrillation as well as use of its unique Real CPR Help(R)capabilities to administer high-quality CPR.

Jonathan A. Rennert, President of ZOLL said, “We are extremely pleased to have been successful in this award. It is the largest award we have ever received for the AED Plus. The unique aspects of the AED Plus that make it able to both provide a lifesaving defibrillator shock, as well as help rescuers perform quality CPR due to its real-time feedback capabilities, played an important role in the selection of our product.”


“The latest Australian Resuscitation Council Guidelines, American Heart Association, and European Resuscitation Council Guidelines all emphasize CPR quality and its importance to survival. This is an area in which ZOLL has superior technology; we have offered the only AEDs in the market with this feature since the AED Plus’ initial introduction in 2002,” he added. “We are pleased to see increasing understanding of the advantages of ZOLL products with Real CPR Help. Our AED Plus also provides a unique rugged design and is built to last in the rough, wet, and dusty environments that the Rural Fire Service operates in.”

About the AED Plus

The ZOLL AED Plus(R) is the first and only Full-Rescue AED that provides Real CPR Help(R) for rate and depth of chest compressions during CPR. This feedback technology helps rescuers provide high-quality manual CPR with real-time audible and visual feedback to help them achieve the proper depth and rate of CPR chest compressions.

The AED Plus guides rescuers through the complete Chain of Survival, helping all sudden cardiac arrest victims, not just those who need a shock.

About Sudden Cardiac Arrest

SCA, an abrupt disruption of the heart’s function, which causes a lack of blood flow to vital organs, claims more than 1 million lives each year. It is the leading cause of unexpected death in the world and strikes without warning. Currently, only about 5 percent of victims survive; 95 percent will die from SCA.

About NSW Rural Fire Service

Over 100 years ago the residents of the southwestern New South Wales township of Berrigan formed Australia’s first official bush fire brigade. The resident’s joined together as firefighters for mutual protection against the ever-present threat of bush fires. On September 1, 1997, the NSW Rural Fire Service (NSWRFS) was established by an act of Parliament as the successor to the first bush fire brigade, redefining the world’s largest fire service and building on a century of experience in protecting some of the most fire-prone areas on earth.
Today the service comprises over 2,100 volunteer rural fire brigades with a total membership of just over 70,000. In addition, salaried staff are employed to manage the day to day operations of the service at headquarters, regional offices, and district fire control centers. For more information, please visit http://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/dsp_content.cfm?cat_id1003.

About ZOLL Medical Corporation

ZOLL Medical Corporation develops and markets medical devices and software solutions that help advance emergency care and save lives, while increasing clinical and operational efficiencies. With products for defibrillation and monitoring, circulation and CPR feedback, data management, fluid resuscitation, and therapeutic temperature management, ZOLL provides a comprehensive set of technologies which help clinicians, EMS and fire professionals, and lay rescuers treat victims needing resuscitation and critical care.

A NASDAQ Global Select company and a Forbes 100 Most Trustworthy Company in 2007, 2008, and 2009, ZOLL develops and manufactures its products in the United States, in California, Colorado, Illinois, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island. More than 400 direct sales and service representatives, 1,100 business partners, and 200 independent representatives serve our customers in over 140 countries around the globe. For more information, visit http://www.zoll.com.

Certain statements contained in this press release, including statements regarding the future business of the Company, and other statements contained herein regarding matters that are not historical facts, are “forward-looking” statements (as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995). Because such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, those factors discussed in the section entitled “Risk Factors” in the Company’sQuarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the SEC on February 9, 2011. You should not place undue reliance on the forward looking statements in this press release, and the Company disavows any obligation to update or supplement those statements in the event of any changes in the facts, circumstances, or expectations that underlie those statements.

Copyright  5/8 2011 ZOLL Medical Corporation. All rights reserved. 269 Mill Road, Chelmsford, MA 01824-4105. AED Plus, Real CPR Help and ZOLL are registered trademarks of ZOLL Medical Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. All product names are the property of their respective owners.
 

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