ELGIN, S.C. — New equipment, Automated Difibulators (AEDs), have arrived in the Town of Elgin.
AEDs are used to help those experiencing sudden cardiac arrest. It's an easy-to-use medical device that can analyze the heart's rhythm and, if necessary, deliver an electrical shock, or defibrillation, to help the heart re-establish rhythm.
After struggling to find the money for the equipment, Woodman of The World Insurance donated the life-saving equipment to the department.
"I was pretty emotional because I've seen them in action, I know they work," says Elgin Police Department Sergeant Michelle Sinclair.
"I've been working on trying to get grants. The old ones we've had keep dying out, and the batteries we're not able to replace," Sinclair said. "I've been reaching out trying to get grants for our department, not successfully."
Sinclair says having these within fingertip reach will only make things safer for those who live and commute through their jurisdiction.
"We don't have the finance in our town to make a $2,000 purchase for a reach officer because we're a small jurisdiction. Our response time is typically 2 minutes, sometimes unfortunately due to the call volume EMS," Sinclair said. "Other first responders, our ambulances, may be at the hospital, which is 20 minute away, so we can have a 2 minutes response time and when you look at the statistics, every minute the chance of survival drops 7-10%."
The department now has 3 AEDs. They say they will need 4 more in order to be considered fully equipped.