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AEDs
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stopped or is beating too rapidly, it will send a direct current to the heart.
“I’ve used it twice and we’ve got it to where the rhythms were stable so we could get them to the hospital,” said Smith. “Both patients didn’t survive, but at least we got them to where they could see their families.”
Adding to the benefit of the new devices is that they were purchased at no cost to the taxpayers, Smith said. The department combined funds through a grant and used supplemental funds from the work release program.
Smith applied for the grant through the Virginia Office of Emergency Medical Services in September 2008. She traveled to Fredericksburg and presented the request to the EMS board, which granted the department $8,272 toward the purchase of the new AEDs.
“This came at no cost to the taxpayers for us to have this and be able to provide this service that is needed,” Smith said.
Five Lifepak 1000 defibrillators made by Medtronic were purchased with the grant money, each costing about $2,100.
“It’s nice to have them in the cars and for each individual deputy to have one,” Smith said.
The department had nine devices, but added five more so that every deputy on patrol would be equipped in case of an emergency. Having an AED in both the jail and courthouse is also a benefit.
Last August, Ernest Lee Martin, Jr., an inmate in the county jail, was found unresponsive by deputies. They were unable to resuscitate Martin and he was pronounced dead after being transported to Fauquier Hospital.
“If an inmate were to go down from a heart attack, it could potentially be the difference in life or death,” Jenkins said. “Having an officer here able to run to the hall and grab the unit within those first few minutes is a great benefit.”
All deputies are trained and certified to use the device every two years. The department has instructors on staff to re-certify officers as needed.
“We’re usually the first ones on the scene for medical assistance,” said Jenkins. “So it’s great that we have that ability to help.”
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