BATTLE GROUND, WA--Battle Ground Police Department patrol officers are now armed with an important life-saving tool - Automated External Defibrillators (AED’s). The devices were provided by Clark County Fire & Rescue (CCFR) who secured a grant from the Clark County Public Safety Education Committee in the amount of $17,500 to equip each of the police department’s 12 patrol vehicles with an AED.
AEDs are used in cases of life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias which lead to cardiac arrest. They are light-weight, portable devices with adhesive electrode pads that connect to an individual’s chest to automatically analyze the electrical activity of the heart and, if needed, send an electric shock to the heart to try to restore a normal rhythm.
“Since officers are out patrolling our neighborhoods 24/7, they are often the first to arrive on scene,” said Battle Ground Police Chief Bob Richardson, “The AEDs allow our officers to start life-saving measures right away, when minutes are critical, until CCFR personnel arrive.”
The City of Battle Ground contracts with Clark County Fire & Rescue to provide fire and rescue services within the City.
SOURCE: Battle Ground website