Harrison Twp. patrols add defibrillators
By Edward L. Cardenas, The Detroit News
July 19th, 2005
HARRISON TOWNSHIP -- The three Macomb County Sheriff's
Office patrol cars assigned to Harrison Township soon
will be equipped with the latest in lifesaving technology.
Each of the cars will carry automatic external defibrillators,
and each of the deputies assigned to the township
will be trained how to use them by Harrison Township
firefighters.
The devices use a charge that can restart a person's
heart during cardiac arrest.
"(The defibrillators) help out tremendously
and provide livesaving support," Sheriff Mark
Hackel said. "It's good for us to know that the
public supports what we do in law enforcement."
The defibrillators for the police cars were purchased
with donated funds from residents, businesses and
other groups through the "Have a Heart for Harrison"
campaign sponsored by the Harrison Township Fire Department.
Through donations and grants, the department purchased
30 of the nearly $2,000 defibrillators for every emergency
vehicle in the township and many school and public
buildings in the nine-square-mile community.
The Macomb County Sheriff's Marine Division, based
in Harrison Township, also has defibrillators on its
boats.
Joe Termullo knows the value of rapid response in
emergencies . The township resident and business owner
suffered a heart attack in December days after he
started raising funds for the defibrillator campaign.
Although paramedics did not use the portable device
to treat him, he wants to ensure his employees and
neighbors get top-of-the-line care.
The crisis gave the fund-raising campaign "a
more personal note," said Termullo, president
of the Harrison Township Corridor Association, which
raised $1,200.
The portable defibrillators, which are the size of
laptop computers, can jolt a heart back to rhythm
if someone experiences a heart attack. The defibrillator
first analyzes the victim's heart rhythm to determine
whether the shocking function of the device is necessary.
The device can mean the difference between life and
death.
With every minute that passes between the time the
heart attack begins and when paramedics arrive and
begin defibrillation, chances of survival drop 10
percent, Harrison Township Fire Chief Carl Seitz said.
"The Sheriff's Office and the Fire Department
work together as a team," Seitz said.
"The residents came together for the community."
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