The Stuart Police Department recently received a grant from the Iowa Heart Foundation for an Automated External Defibrillator (AED). 

The department did not previously have an AED, so the new equipment can help police be prepared for sudden cardiac arrests. Stuart Director of Rescue Sean Bovinett explains why this could be such a vital tool for the community.

“For a lot of calls, the police could very well be the first people on scene. They get called out to a welfare check or somebody who you know is out of town or something along those lines. You never really know what you’re going to get into, so if they get there and then have to call us, that’s minutes that could be as many as 5 or 10 depending on the situation. So, the AED if they get it on right away and start performing high-quality CPR from the get-go rather than waiting for us. So, this is very vital, hopefully it won’t be used very much, but even one time in a couple years is definitely worth it.”

The Iowa Heart Foundation says that during Sudden Cardiac Arrest, every minute without defibrillator treatment decreases the risk of survival by 7 to 10 percent.