Police receive AEDs to help future cardiac arrest victims

SAVANNAH, Tenn. — First responders say the first three minutes a person goes into cardiac arrest are the most critical. With calls coming in constantly through Hardin County dispatch, it’s not always a medical responder who can arrive to the scene first.

“While we have an outstanding ambulance service here, they’re busy,” Savannah Police Chief Gary Will Jr. said. “They run to calls all the time, and there are times when they cannot get there for five or 10 minutes.”

With the help of a grant, the police department now has six AEDs, enough for each officer on patrol. The Savannah Fire Department received two units, and the Hardin County Fire Department received three.

Over the past year, the Savannah Police Department has been working to get these AED machines into their patrol cars because every minute counts.

“Ten minutes is too long,” Chief Will said. “We’ve had cases where our officers have done CPR on people and wished we had an AED handy. By the time the ambulance was able to get there, unfortunately we could not save them.”

The county says the long-term goal is for each of the patrol cars and fire engines to have these devices.

“The sooner you can get to a victim, the higher chance of surviving it. For every minute it takes, you lose 10 percent chance of surviving,” Will said.

Each AED unit costs $1,100, and the grant paid for half of each unit.