Livingston County’s nine law enforcement agencies now have another tool in the
trunk to help save lives. Thanks to community and business contributions, a
“Jump Start the Heart” campaign led by Michigan State Police at the Brighton
Post, Livingston County EMS and the Sheriff’s Department was an overwhelming
success and has resulted in the purchase of 23 Automated External
Defibrillators (AEDs). They’ll be placed in patrol cars across the county and
in the event of a cardiac arrest when a police officer shows up on scene first,
law enforcement can start CPR and then apply the AEDs. The portable emergency
medical equipment helps return the human heart to a normal beat during a heart
attack or other emergencies and help with the survival rates of cardiac arrest.
A demonstration on how the devices work was provided at a presentation this
morning at EMS headquarters. 1st Lieutenant and Commander of the Brighton Post
Gene Kapp explained that about 340,000 deaths occur across the nation because
of cardiac arrest every year. He says they hope to never use the devices but
they know they will and this gives law enforcement a huge advantage. Citizens
and businesses of Livingston County contributed more than $17,000 to the
campaign with EMS chipping in more than $13,000 for a total of $30,475 raised.