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Montgomery Police Department is getting new equipment to help save the lives of people having heart attacks. When a person goes into cardiac arrest, there are only 3 to 5 minutes to begin CPR before brain damage occurs. Often, police officers arrive before paramedics when someone calls 911. Now they can use these critical moments to begin treatment.
The Montgomery Police Department will now deploy the largest number of automated external defibrillators in Alabama. The AEDs will be installed in officers’ patrol cars so that if they receive a medical call where someone is having a heart attack, they can use the AED to start defibrillation until emergency responders arrive.
The City of Montgomery has purchased 271 AEDs that the MPD will use. Over the next few weeks and months, police officers will be trained by current and former paramedics and firefighters on how to use them. The company Cardiac Solutions will oversee every aspect of the AED program, including product deployment and ongoing daily monitoring. The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office and Prattville Police Department are two of the law enforcement agencies here in Alabama that already have AEDs in their patrol cars, and officials tell us it’s becoming more common.
“These devices are literally devices that give us the opportunity and the ability to help someone when they are having a heart attack that could threaten their health and well-being. So this gives us the ability to help them very quickly when time and seconds count,” said interim chief Jim Graboys.
“Now, patrol officers in the city of Montgomery can arrive at the scene and provide people with AEDs to begin defibrillation and CPR. If this is done early, EMS can arrive at the injured, who have a much better chance of survival, and get them to the right location and hospital,” said Ben Yother, sales manager for Cardiac Solutions.
According to the American Heart Association, more than 356,000 people experience cardiac arrest outside of a hospital each year, and nearly 90% of those are fatal. MPD hopes this new program is a small step toward reducing that number. AEDs can cost between $1,200 and $4,000 each. For more information, visit www.cardiac-solutions.net
