Sheriff Introduces New Life-Saving Equipment for Deputies

BIRMINGHAM, AL - The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office will be the first law enforcement agency in the state to have its vehicles equipped with automated external defibrillators. Sheriff Mike Hale made the announcement Thursday, saying his office plans to equip every marked unit with an AED.

“We’re here for public safety, our job is to protect all of our citizens. Investing in AEDs is just one more step in providing our officers with a tool that can save someone’s life,” Hale said. “We want the public to be aware of this in case they are with someone having a cardiac episode and see a Sheriffs marked unit they can flag them down and save time when seconds may be the difference in life and death.”

According to a report from the American Heart Association, there were 326,000 cases of out of hospital cardiac arrest reported in the United States in 2015. Of those events witnessed by a bystander where the victim had a shockable heart rhythm 31 percent survived. An automated external defibrillator is a device that can be used to establish a regular heart rhythm in a person who has suffered some form of cardiac arrest. (For more updates on this story and free news alerts for your neighborhood, sign up for your local Patch morning newsletter.)

Deputies are completing training with the new equipment this week. The AED’s are issued to deputies upon completion of the training.

Image courtesy of the FDA