The Nevada Public Safety Department has received eight new Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs).
“This will allow us to meet a goal of the Iowa State Patrol and Iowa Departments of Public Health and Public Safety … to equip every law enforcement vehicle with an AED,” said Ray Reynolds, Nevada Fire Chief. He noted the new AEDs will also replace two older AEDs the Nevada PD has had previously.
The AEDs are made possible through the Iowa Department of Public Health & Department of Public Safety’s Helmsley Charitable Trust Law Enforcement AED Grant. (See more about the grant at the end of this story.)
To qualify for the grant, the following efforts were made:
- Ray Beaty, a paramedic, CPR instructor, and member of the Nevada Fire Department, attended a required “train up” session in Des Moines.
- Nevada’s police officers completed annual training on the use of AEDs.
- The grant application was completed.
“It really is exciting that the Nevada Police Department received these new AEDs…,” said Jessica Melton, who leads the Nevada Fire Department’s Community Risk Reduction efforts. “As adults, we are most likely to experience cardiac issues. Immediate use of an AED is crucial in trying to increase survival chances of someone experiencing cardiac arrest in order to try and correct an abnormal heart rhythm.”
Melton shared the following information from the American Heart Association: “For every minute that passes without CPR and defibrillation, the chances of survival decrease by 7 to 10 percent.”
With Nevada Police officers usually being the first responders on scene, the AEDs in every vehicle with all officers trained to use them, “means we can provide the best care possible to our community members,” Melton said.
Reynolds believes in the importance of utilizing grant dollars, and has applied and received numerous grants to benefit the Fire and Police Departments (which together make up Nevada Public Safety Department), the City of Nevada, and ultimately, the residents of this community. The monetary value of the AEDs received, he noted, is $20,000, but you can’t put a monetary value on human life. It’s priceless.
“Taking the initiative to apply for this grant is all part of what it means to protect our community,” Reynolds said.
The total grant funds received by the IDPH and IDPS through the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust was $10.1 million. This grant will fund the purchase, training, and placement of Stryker CR2 automated external defibrillators (AEDs) with responding law enforcement officers across the State of Iowa. This grant will also fund the training, resupply of patient pads when used on a person experiencing a sudden cardiac arrest, and support from the manufacturer for eight years. AED recipients include State Law Enforcement Officers, County Sheriffs, Municipal Police Departments, Campus Police Officers, Tribal Police, DNR Conservation Officers, and County Conservation Officers.
–Written by Marlys Barker, City of Nevada
