Grand Rapids Police officials said The Automated External Defibrillators, better known as AED’s, will be installed in every police car soon.
An AED is a portable device that checks a heartbeat and can send an electric shock to the heart to restore its rhythm. AEDs are often used to treat sudden cardiac arrest, a condition in which the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating.
Grand Rapids police SGT. Cathy Williams says the addition of AED’s could potentially save lives as police cruisers are usually the first responders to an emergency call.
“Any opportunity we can have to save a life or increase that emergency medical response to someone who is in cardiac arrest is a good thing," Williams said. "We do respond to medical emergencies along with ems and fire, often times we are there first, so if we have that emergency equipment with us and available and we can deliver that to the patient, those seconds matter.”
Police say the AEDs are simple to use and will not deliver a shock to a patient unless the equipment advises it is appropriate to do so. So far, 75 LifePak AED’s have been installed.
