Sheridan Police Department receives 28 AEDs

The Sheridan Police Department has received 28 Automated External Defibrillators, LifePak CR2s, due to a generous grant from the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust through the Wyoming EMS Association. 

According to emssafetyservices.com, AEDs are a safe and easy to use device that delivers a therapeutic electric shock to the heart as treatment for a victim in Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA). 

AEDs are mobile and often found on the walls of public venues and corporations across America, much like a fire extinguisher. Sheridan PD officers will have the devices available in their cruisers. 

SPD officers are trained in lifesaving skills, according to SPD Lieutenant Tom Ringley. During an appearance on Sheridan Media’s Public Pulse, Ringley told listeners that not only has the foundation supplied the AEDs, they will also save the department approximately $900 a year on replacement pads for the device. 

As first responders, officers often arrive on scene before other emergency services, giving them critical moments to save a life. According to the EMS website, the sooner an AED is used the more likely it will work. A SCA victim loses 7-10% chance at survival for every minute after SCA that an AED is not used.