Plant City Police Department officer Erick Sanchez thought he was making a routine traffic stop in April, when he spotted a driver and passenger not wearing their seat belts.
As Sanchez wrote the ticket, a young man ran out of a nearby house.
Please help my mom!
Sanchez flew into action. He went to his trunk and pulled out an automated external defibrillator unit. Dispatching another unit, he followed the man into the house and found an unresponsive woman in her bed. She was about 300 pounds and had stopped breathing.
As Sanchez waited for another unit, he prepared the AED and began CPR.
When another officer arrived, they moved the woman to the floor and hooked her up to the AED. They alternated between the AED and CPR, until the paramedics arrived. A small pulse had returned.
She was taken to South Florida Baptist Hospital and remained in the ICU for three weeks.
But, she survived.
“I just felt like I was in the right place at the right time,” Sanchez said. Sanchez feels that the AED saved her life.
“That’s the best tool we ever get, prior to EMS,” Sanchez said. “We’re the first ones there, because we’re already out on the street.”
But the Plant City Police Department only has four AED units for its 68 sworn officers. The units are rotated on a schedule between patrol cars. There is one AED in each zone of the city.
“The reason we haven’t pursued the purchase of more AEDs is simply due to the cost,” Police Chief Steven Singletary said. “Most law-enforcement agencies realize the need for mores AEDs, but due to the high cost, most can’t afford to equip all their officers with AEDs.”
Locally, the Plant City Noon Rotary Club wants to change those numbers. The club will use funds raised at its upcoming Dancing with the Locals charity showcase to purchase more AEDs for the Plant City Police Department.
“It definitely makes a difference,” Sgt. Al Van Duyne said. “I’ve reviewed some statistical data and saw that they are able to save people. In as little as seven minutes, that can be the difference between saving someone’s life or them passing away.”
Contact Amber Jurgensen at ajurgensen@plantcityobserver.com.
HOW THEY WORK
Every officer is trained on how to use an AED.
“They’re cop-proof,” Sgt. Al Van Duyne said, jokingly.
The portable square unit weighs about four pounds. The ends of the defibrillator pads are plugged into a receptacle on top. One pad is placed over the right pectoral. The other pad is placed underneath the left pectoral.
Once in place, officers start the AED. It conducts a rhythm check and then advises the officer if he or she should deliver a shock.
“People have seen them in other places; airports and schools,” Van Duyne said. “When we share with citizens that we have them, they’re greatly relieved.”
HOW TO HELP
The Rotary Club of Plant City will use proceeds raised from the annual Dancing with the Locals event, which will take place at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 15, at the HCC John R. Trinkle Center, 1206 N. Park Road, Plant City. In addition, sponsorships and individual donations can me made to directly support this initiative. For more information, email to rotarypc@gmail.com.
AED and Cardiac Facts
• Cardiac arrest claims about 330,000 lives each year — or 900 per day — nationwide.
• In Florida, about 10,000 people suffer a cardiac arrest each year, and 95% of them die before reaching a hospital.
• For every minute a cardiac arrest victim is not defibrillated, his or her chances of survival declines by 7% to 10%.
• Brain death starts to occur in just four to six minutes after someone experiences a sudden cardiac arrest.
• If defibrillation can be preformed within the first one to three minutes, there is a 70% to 80% chance of survival.
Source: AHA