WYOMING, Mich. -The Wyoming Police Department is outfitting all of its patrol cars with portable devices that can save your life if you suffer a heart attack.
The Automated External Defibrillators, or AED’s, are small enough to be attached to the center console of the cars and can shock a heart back to life if someone experiences cardiac or respiratory arrest.
Wyoming officers went through training on the devices Thursday.
They are very easy to use, featuring an electronic voice that walks the user through the process step-by-step.
“It`s very simple and after going through it, I’m ready,” said Ross Eagan, of the Wyoming Police Department.
“Prior to this we were not sent to these calls, so now that we`re getting these responses, we have more police cars on the road than say a fire department or ambulance and maybe we can get there a little bit quicker,” said Officer Kirt Zuiderveen.
Michigan’s survival rate is only three to five percent after suffering a heart attack.
In some cities like Seattle, the survival rate is much higher, at 40 percent because they have more extensive training and more AED’s available.
The police department purchased thirty Medtronic LifePak 1000 AED’s to place in 27 patrol cars and three areas around the department, including the recreation center.
Although medical calls will still be handled by medical and fire personnel, the new equipment will allow officers who respond, to now begin to administer life saving CPR and use the device until emergency medical services arrive.
“It gives us another tool to help the citizens with,” said Egan.
The police department hopes to have the AED’s installed in all of their patrol vehicles by the end of the week.
