Defibrillators used by the Honolulu Fire Department have been failing, and may have resulted in the deaths of at least two people, according to a report from Hawaii News Now.

If true, this is a serious problem for HFD. Firefighters are oftentimes the first responders to an emergency and must provide immediate medical help to keep people alive.

Hawaii News Now also reported that the brand of automated external defibrillator kits (AEDs) HFD uses has been recalled in the past.

Here’s an excerpt from the story:

The fire department claimed the AED problems did not cause any deaths, but HFD did not tell Hawaii News Now how many of those five patients died. 

Memos reviewed by Hawaii News Now show at least two of those patients died after separate AED failures last April.

Watch the entire report here.

Photo via Andrew Turner.

—Nick Grube