HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Kansas State Fair will have Automated External Defibrillator (AED) devices on the grounds this September thanks to a partnership with the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas Foundation. These lifesaving medical equipment pieces will be placed in eleven buildings on the fairgrounds.
Prior to August 2022, there were no AEDs available on the fairgrounds and the fair had to rely on the Hutchinson Fire Department or Emergency Medical Services.
The Kansas State Fair averages over 340,000 guests during the ten days of the annual September event. Over 450 non-Fair events occur across the grounds in a twelve-month period.
The devices will be in the Pride of Kansas, Meadowlark, Sunflower South, Sunflower North, 4H Centennial Hall, Domestic Arts, Encampment, Cottonwood Court, Grandstand, EXPO Center and the Prairie Pavilion.
Events such as RV rallies, Mennonite Relief Sale, Kansas Beef Expo, Skills USA, Kansas Junior Livestock Show, and numerous weddings, reunions, and family gatherings happen every year in addition to the fair.