All Southgate police cruisers are now outfitted with defibrillators.
Police Chief John Christmann announced during a Southgate City Council meeting Wednesday that each police cruiser will now have an automated external defibrillator (AED), a device used to help those in cardiac arrest, in the vehicle.
“We all have been certified on AED since I’ve been here,” he said. “We had two when I first took over 10 years ago. They were probably 15, 20 years old. They were old technology, but these are top-of-the-line technology.”
The machines work with EMS and are able to download everything needed.
Christmann said many times they make it to an incident before the emergency squad because they’re often closer.
“Nothing is worse than an officer standing around waiting for the squad to get there,” Christmann said. “So now we can take action.”
He said the company also sent them new first aid kits, which will be in the cruisers, too.
“It just makes sense, especially for what happened Monday night,” Mayor Jim Hamberg said, referring to the cardiac arrest of Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin. Medics used an AED to resuscitate his heart at the field at Paycor Stadium.
“That’s great we’re doing that,” Hamberg said. “More than anything, I think it’s just a safety measure for the residences.”
The mayor suggested the city building should have an AED as well, and the chief said he’ll put one in the building.
