Every year sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) kills between 35,000 and 45,000 people in Canada [1] and approximately 350,000 people in the United States; 85% of SCAs are caused by ventricular fibrillation (VF). [2] Receiving defibrillation from an automated external defibrillator (AED) is a key component of the 'chain of survival' for victims of SCA. Chances of survival from a SCA decrease by 7–10% every minute that a victim does not receive defibrillation. [3] Attempts at reducing time until defibrillation have largely focused on improving traditional emergency medical service (EMS) responders and implementing publicly available defibrillator (PAD) programs. [4] In the United States approximately 60% of SCAs are treated by EMS. [4] Equipping police vehicles with AEDs and incorporating them in the emergency dispatching process when a SCA is suspected, can reduce the time until defibrillation for a victim suffering an out-of-hospital sudden cardiac arrest. [5] There are numerous studies which confirm a strong coloration between equipping police vehicles with AEDs and reduced time until defibrillation which ultimately translates into improved survival rates from SCA. As a result of these demonstrable statistics, police departments across North America have begun equipping some or all of their police vehicles with AEDs.
In the 1990s three extensive studies, which examined different elements of police AED programs, occurred in Allegheny County, PA; Rochester, MN; and Miami, FL. The purpose of these studies was to examine the effectiveness of equipping police with AEDs, their ability to provide reduced response times in rural and suburban communities and how this translates to improved survival rates from SCA. The police departments which originally took part in these studies retained their adopted capabilities and now contribute to some of the highest survival rates from SCA in the country.
Between January 1, 1990, and January 31, 1995, a study was conducted across 7 rural municipalities in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. This study examined the impact of dispatching police officers who were equipped with AEDs, to suspected SCAs, on survival rates from SCA in rural communities. In total, 200 police officers received CPR and AED training and 30 AEDs were deployed. [6] Over the course of the study a 3.5 minute (51%) decrease in the interval between the 9-1-1 call and the application of the AED was observed. The study concluded that in the "7 suburban communities, police use of AEDs decreased time to defibrillation and was an independent predictor of survival to hospital discharge." [6] : 200
In November 1990, the Rochester Minnesota Police Department received 4 defibrillators to equip 4 patrol vehicles. This initiative began as a part of a study to examine how effective police vehicles that were equipped with AEDs were at improving survival rates from SCA. The number of AEDs grew until in 2006, every marked police vehicle in the department had an AED. [7] As of September 2011, this program has saved over 142 lives. [7] As of September 2013, Rochester Minnesota achieved a survival rate from SCA of 58%, which is due to their Police AED Program. [8]
In 1999 the Miami Dade Police Department partnered with the Metropolitan Miami-Dade County Public Health Trust and the Miami Heart Research Institute to examine the impact of police responders in combination with EMS on response times and survival rates from SCA. In 1999, between February 1 and July 1, all Miami-Dade police officers were equipped with AEDs. [9] This program involved 1900 police officers across 9 districts. The Metropolitan Miami-Dada County 9-1-1 emergency dispatching system was adjusted to accommodate a dual dispatching process. The results of this study indicated that dispatching police officers equipped with AEDs simultaneously with traditional EMS, in a large urban area can provide substantially reduced response times. This improved response time directly related to improved survival rates for victims of SCA with ventricular fibrillation or pulseless ventricular tachycardia (VF/VT). [9] : 1058 During this experiment, the survival rate for witnessed victims of SCA with VT/VF who were assisted by simultaneously dispatched police and EMS was 24%. The survival rate for witnessed victims of SCA with VT/VF who were assisted by EMS alone was 10.5%. [9] : 1063 The results of these studies have influenced many police departments throughout North America to adopt similar defibrillator programs for their vehicles.
State | Police department | Number of AEDs | Date police AED program started | Number of lives saved | Regional SCA survival rate | Additional information |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Arizona | The Marana Police Department | 15 [10] | N/A | N/A | N/A | The AEDs were donated by the Steven M. Gootter Foundation. [11] |
Arizona | The Pima County Sheriff's Department | 26 [12] | 2014 | N/A | N/A | The 26 AEDs are in the vehicles of sergeants who are patrol shift supervisors. The Pima County Sheriff's Department also equips the SWAT Team, Bomb Squad and Search and Rescue teams with mobile AEDs. The department's total number of mobile and stationary AEDs is 78. [12] |
California | The Glendora Police Department | 15 | 1997 | 31 [13] | N/A | In 1997, the Glendora Police Department became the first police department in Los Angeles County and the second police department in California to deploy AEDs among all of their police cruisers. There are 15 AEDs which equip all Glendora Police marked police cruisers. The program was expanded to include AEDs for all the non-sworn Community Services Officers and non-sworn voluntary Auxiliary Officers within the Glendora Police Department. [14] |
California | Westminster Police Department | 33 [15] | 2015 | N/A | NA | |
Florida | Flagler County Sheriff's Office | 80 | 2013 | N/A | N/A | The 80 AEDs will be placed in the vehicles of the Sheriff's Office fleet, including motorcycles. [16] |
Florida | Groveland Police Department | A defibrillator in every active patrol vehicle [17] | 2007 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Florida | Lakeland Police Department | 131 defibrillators distributed among marked police vehicles [18] | N/A | N/A | N/A | The funds for the defibrillators were raised through donations by members of the public. Between 400 and 500 people donated money which totaled $122,500. [18] |
Florida | Miami Dade Police Department | 1900 patrol vehicles, marine units, mounted units, helicopters and bicycle patrols were all equipped with AEDs. | 1999 | N/A | N/A | The patrol officers of the Miami Dade Police Department take their police vehicles (with AED) home when off duty which allows the AED to remain available to the community at all time. [19] |
Georgia | Brookhaven Police Department | 64 [20] | 2013 | N/A | N/A | The Friends of Brookhaven Foundation raised the funds, which were matched dollar for dollar by the City of Brookhaven, to purchase the 64 AEDs. [20] These AEDs are issued to all patrol vehicles of the Brookhaven Police Department. [21] |
Georgia | The Floyd County Police Department | 68 [22] | 2010 | N/A | N/A | These 68 AEDs were purchased with a $144,000 HRSA grant through the Georgia Department of Community Health. [22] |
Georgia | Rome Police Department | 44 [22] | 2009 [23] | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Kansas | Lawrence Police Department | 45 | N/A | N/A | N/A | In 2012, the Lawrence Police Foundation began a long term fundraising project to raise $47,000 to acquire 34 AEDs for the Lawrence Police Service. The Lawrence Police Department, prior to 2012 already had 11 AEDs, needed an additional 34 to equip all of their patrol vehicles. This goal was completed on December 24, 2014. [24] |
Louisiana | The Houma Police Department | 18 | 2005 | N/A | N/A | In 2005 the Houma Police Department received 8 AEDs in 2005 and an additional 10 in 2015. These 18 AEDs are distributed among officers while on patrol. [25] |
Massachusetts | Massachusetts State Police | 323 [26] | 2004 | N/A | N/A | 78 of the 323 AEDs are in fixed locations such as stations and training facilities. The rest of the AEDs are issued to individual state troopers. [26] |
Minnesota | Minnesota State Patrol | 499 [27] | 2007 | N/A | N/A | Every state patrol vehicle is equipped with an AED. [27] |
Minnesota | Rochester Police Department | One AED in every Police Patrol vehicle | 1990 | As of September 2011, this program has saved over 142 lives. [28] | SCA survival rate in Rochester MN is 58%. [8] | |
Montana | Gallatin County Sheriff's Office | 37 [29] | N/A | N/A | 20% [29] | The Gallatin County Sheriff's Office purchased 28 of their 37 AEDs with finances from their jail revenue and now have AEDs in all of the Sheriff's Office patrol vehicles. [29] |
New Jersey | Statewide Deployment in police vehicles | 1682 | 2003 | N/A | SCA survival rate for the State of New Jersey is 4%. [30] | In May 2003, The American Red Cross of Central New Jersey partnered with the New Jersey State Police Community Affairs Bureau to initiate a process that would provide CPR and AED training to hundreds of New Jersey state troopers. Twenty state troopers were also certified as CPR and AED instructors so that the department would be self-sufficient in retraining its officers. Several AEDs (between 3-5 units) were issued to eleven state police stations which were to be issued to patrol vehicles. [30] In July 2005 The state of New Jersey purchased 1,682 AEDs to further equip police patrol vehicles across the state. This event is one of the largest single deployment of AEDs in the United States. [31] |
New York | New York State Police | 1400 | 2007 | 170 [32] | N/A | In 2007 the New York State Police Department equipped all marked cruisers with AEDs (1400) and placed an additional 300 AEDs in state police facilities. [33] The New York State Police officers have been successful in 15% of saves involving SCA and AEDs. [32] |
Ohio | Geauga County Sheriff's Office | 15 [34] | N/A | N/A | N/A | The 15 new AEDs were donated by the University Hospitals Geauga Medical Center. These AEDs were donated in exchange for the Sheriff's Office existing AEDs, which required updating. The updated AEDs were then donated to local libraries and senior centers. [34] |
Several police departments in Canada equip their patrol vehicles with defibrillators; however, this practice remains inconsistent. Within the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) there are no federal regulations that necessitate equipping RCMP vehicles or detachments with AEDs. Despite this there are currently four departments within the RCMP which do deploy AEDs. These departments are the Prime Minister Protective Detail, the Emergency Medical Response Team (EMRT), the Division Fitness and Lifestyle and "E" Division. [35]
E Division of the RCMP operates in the province of British Columbia and is responsible for federal, provincial and municipal policing services throughout the province, with the exception of 11 communities. Despite the absence of federal regulations requiring RCMP officers to be equipped with AEDs, the BC Provincial Policing Standards state that, as of January 30, 2013, "the chief constable, chief officer, or commissioner must:
The BC Provincial Policing Standards were updated to include the clause related to AEDs, after the release of the Braidwood Inquiry. The Braidwood Inquiry was a public inquiry which examined the safety of Tasers or CEWs after the death of Robert Dziekański. Robert Dziekański died after being tasered 5 times by RCMP officers. In August 2014 Constable Brian Mulrooney, an RCMP officer from "E" Division who was equipped with an AED, was dispatched to a suspected sudden cardiac arrest at Snug Cove, Bowen Island. Constable Mulrooney arrived within 2–3 minutes with the AED and administered multiple shocks to the victim. The victim was revived and flown to the Vancouver General hospital for further assistance. [37]
In Canada there are three provincial police departments; the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), the Sûreté du Québec and the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary (RNC). None of the three provincial police departments equip their police cruisers with AEDs, for the purpose of responding to suspected SCAs; however, many municipal police departments equip their police cruisers with AEDs and incorporate them in the emergency response process when a SCA is suspected.
Province | Police department | Number of AEDs | Date program started | Number of lives saved | Regional survival rate from SCA | Additional information |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
British Columbia | Victoria Police Department | In 2005, the Victoria Police Department distributed 5 AEDs among their patrol vehicles [38] | 2005 | N/A | The survival rate from SCA in British Columbia is 12%. [39] | This was the first police AED program in BC. [38] |
British Columbia | Vancouver Police Department | N/A | 2013 | N/A | The survival rate from SCA in British Columbia is 12%. [39] | The Vancouver Police Department Regulations and Procedures Manual states the following: There shall be an AED deployed in the following vehicles:
This policy came into effect January 22, 2013. [40] |
Alberta | Medicine Hat Police Department | N/A | N/A | N/A | NA | The Medicine Hat Police department has been progressively equipping their police cruisers with AEDs. The city of Medicine Hat Major Operating Expense Budget Request for 2012-2021 outlines the municipalities intention to increase their number of AEDs available to the Medicine Hat Police department, so that every police patrol vehicle is fully equipped with an AED. [41] |
Ontario | Ottawa Police Service | 141 [42] | N/A | N/A | The SCA survival rate for Ontario is less than 6%. [43] The SCA survival rate for Ottawa is double the provincial average at over 12%. [44] | Every marked police car of the Ottawa Police Service is equipped with an AED. In addition to the AEDs in marked police vehicles, the Ottawa Police Service has 28 AEDs located in their facilities, including police stations, community policing centres and Ottawa Police headquarters. [42] |
Ontario | Brockville Police Service | 12 [45] | September 2013 [45] | N/A | The SCA survival rate for Ontario is less than 6%. [43] | N/A |
Ontario | Cobourg Police Department | 6 [46] | Spring 2012 [46] | By the fall of 2012, one of the AEDs was used by a police officer, to revive a man, prior to the arrival of an ambulance. [47] | The SCA survival rate for Ontario is less than 6%. [43] | N/A |
Ontario | Perth Police Department | 4 | N/A | N/A | The SCA survival rate for Ontario is less than 6%. [43] | The 4 AEDs were donated by the local Member of Parliament, Scott Reid. [48] The Perth Police Department was amalgamated in April 2013, with the Ontario Provincial Police and it remains unclear what happened to the AEDs donated by Mr. Reid. [49] |
Ontario | Smiths Falls Police Department | 8 | N/A | N/A | The SCA survival rate for Ontario is less than 6%. [43] | The 8 AEDs were donated by the local Member of Parliament, Scott Reid. [48] |
Ontario | South Simcoe Police Service | 6 | N/A | June 2015 | The AEDs will be distributed among the police cruisers, the police command post and the marine unit. [50] | |
Ontario | Thunder Bay Police Service | 6 | 2015 | N/A | N/A | The AEDs were purchased through a $16,000 donation from a local couple. [51] |
Quebec | Service de police de la Ville de Laval | 70 | 2012 | 14 people were saved in the first two years of the police AED program. | N/A | In 2012, the Service de police de la Ville de Laval purchased 22 AEDs which were strategically deployed among police patrol cars. By 2014, these 22 AEDs resulted in 14 lives saved. The Laval Police Service purchased an additional 48 AEDs in 2014, bringing their total number to 70, allowing for an AED to be placed in every patrol vehicle and community police station. [52] |
Quebec | Service de police de la Ville de Saint-Jérôme | 12 [53] | June 18, 2012 [53] | N/A | N/A |
Cardiac arrest, also known as sudden cardiac arrest, is when the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating. As a result, blood cannot properly circulate around the body and there is diminished blood flow to the brain and other organs. When the brain does not receive enough blood, this can cause a person to lose consciousness. Coma and persistent vegetative state may result from cardiac arrest. Cardiac arrest is also identified by a lack of central pulses and abnormal or absent breathing.
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is an emergency procedure consisting of chest compressions often combined with artificial ventilation, or mouth to mouth in an effort to manually preserve intact brain function until further measures are taken to restore spontaneous blood circulation and breathing in a person who is in cardiac arrest. It is recommended for those who are unresponsive with no breathing or abnormal breathing, for example, agonal respirations.
Defibrillation is a treatment for life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias, specifically ventricular fibrillation (V-Fib) and non-perfusing ventricular tachycardia (V-Tach). A defibrillator delivers a dose of electric current to the heart. Although not fully understood, this process depolarizes a large amount of the heart muscle, ending the arrhythmia. Subsequently, the body's natural pacemaker in the sinoatrial node of the heart is able to re-establish normal sinus rhythm. A heart which is in asystole (flatline) cannot be restarted by a defibrillator; it would be treated only by cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and medication, and then by cardioversion or defibrillation if it converts into a shockable rhythm.
An automated external defibrillator or automatic electronic defibrillator (AED) is a portable electronic device that automatically diagnoses the life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias of ventricular fibrillation (VF) and pulseless ventricular tachycardia, and is able to treat them through defibrillation, the application of electricity which stops the arrhythmia, allowing the heart to re-establish an effective rhythm.
A certified first responder is a person who has completed a course and received certification in providing pre-hospital care for medical emergencies. Certified individuals should have received much more instruction than someone who is trained in basic first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) but they are not necessarily a substitute for more advanced emergency medical care rendered by emergency medical technicians and paramedics. First responders typically provide advanced first aid level care, CPR, and automated external defibrillator (AED) usage. The term "certified first responder" is not to be confused with "first responder", which is a generic term referring to the first medically trained responder to arrive on scene and medically trained telecommunication operators who provide pre-arrival medical instructions as trained Emergency Medical Dispatchers (EMD). Many police officers and firefighters are required to receive training as certified first responders. Advanced medical care is typically provided by EMS, although some police officers and firefighters also train to become emergency medical technicians or paramedics.
Basic life support (BLS) is a level of medical care which is used for patients with life-threatening condition of cardiac arrest until they can be given full medical care by advanced life support providers. It can be provided by trained medical personnel, such as emergency medical technicians, qualified bystanders and anybody who is trained for providing BLS and/or ACLS.
The Seattle & King County Emergency Medical Services System is a fire-based two-tier response system providing prehospital basic and advanced life support services.
Commotio cordis is a rare disruption of heart rhythm that occurs as a result of a blow to the area directly over the heart at a critical instant during the cycle of a heartbeat. The condition is 97% fatal if not treated within three minutes. This sudden rise in intracavitary pressure leads to disruption of normal heart electrical activity, followed instantly by ventricular fibrillation, complete disorganization of the heart's pumping function, and cardiac arrest. It is not caused by mechanical damage to the heart muscle or surrounding organs and is not the result of heart disease.
The chain of survival refers to a series of actions that, properly executed, reduce the mortality associated with sudden cardiac arrest. Like any chain, the chain of survival is only as strong as its weakest link. The six interdependent links in the chain of survival are early recognition of sudden cardiac arrest and access to emergency medical care, early CPR, early defibrillation, early advanced cardiac life support, and physical and emotional recovery. The first three links in the chain can be performed by lay bystanders, while the second three links are designated to medical professionals. Currently, between 70 and 90% of cardiac arrest patients die before they reach the hospital. However, a cardiac arrest does not have to be lethal if bystanders can take the right steps immediately.
The Brockville Police Service provides policing services for Brockville, the community of the Thousand Islands region on the St. Lawrence River in Eastern Ontario, Canada. Known as the "City of the 1000 Islands", Brockville is located directly opposite Morristown, New York on the north shore of the St. Lawrence River, about half-way between Cornwall in the east and Kingston in the west and a little over an hour from the nation's capital, Ottawa.
The history of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) can be traced as far back as the literary works of ancient Egypt. However, it was not until the 18th century that credible reports of cardiopulmonary resuscitation began to appear in the medical literature.
A wearable cardioverter defibrillator (WCD) is a non-invasive, external device for patients at risk of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). It allows physicians time to assess their patient's arrhythmic risk and see if their ejection fraction improves before determining the next steps in patient care. It is a leased device. A summary of the device, its technology and indications was published in 2017 and reviewed by the EHRA Scientific Documents Committee.
New Orleans Emergency Medical Services is the primary provider of advanced life support emergency medical services to the city of New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. Unlike most other emergency medical services in the United States, New Orleans EMS operates as a third service and is not part of the New Orleans Fire Department; rather, New Orleans EMS is operated by the New Orleans Health Department and the New Orleans Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness.
Lifepak is a series of vital signs monitors and external cardiac defibrillators produced by medical technology company Physio-Control.
Rearrest is a phenomenon that involves the resumption of a lethal cardiac dysrhythmia after successful return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) has been achieved during the course of resuscitation. Survival to hospital discharge rates are as low as 7% for cardiac arrest in general and although treatable, rearrest may worsen these survival chances. Rearrest commonly occurs in the out-of-hospital setting under the treatment of health care providers.
PulsePoint is a 911-connected mobile app that allows users to view and receive alerts on calls being responded to by fire departments and emergency medical services. The app's main feature, and where its name comes from, is that it sends alerts to users at the same time that dispatchers are sending the call to emergency crews. The goal is to increase the possibility that a victim in cardiac arrest will receive cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) quickly. The app uses the current location of a user and will alert them if someone in their vicinity is in need of CPR. The app, which interfaces with the local government public safety answering point, will send notifications to users only if the victim is in a public place and only to users that are in the immediate vicinity of the emergency. In February 2017, PulsePoint introduced a professional version called Verified Responder that also alerts in residential settings. Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, PulsePoint is run by a public 501(c)(3) non-profit foundation of the same name. As of January 28, 2024, the foundation reported that connected agencies had requested the assistance of 856,000 nearby responders for 255,000 cardiac arrest events.
"PulsePoint is a 501(c)(3) public non-profit foundation building applications that help public safety agencies inform and engage their citizens."
The Virginia Beach Department of Emergency Medical Services is the 911 EMS provider for Virginia Beach, Virginia. Virginia Beach is the largest city in the United States with a volunteer based EMS system. Since the 1940s Virginia Beach has offered free pre-hospital emergency services through 10 volunteer rescue squads supported by 1,100+ volunteers throughout the city. Virginia beach EMS has also been a leader in a variety of pre-hospital technologies including 12-lead transmission,EZ-IO technology and therapeutic hypothermia,rapid sequence induction and intubation (RSII),video laryngoscope,end tidal CO2 monitoring,S T Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI) and Stroke programs and community CardioPulmonary Resuscitation (CPR),among others. These programs and more have contributed to the 36% cardiac arrest survival rate (2012).
Daryll Thomann was the chief of police for the city of Placentia in Orange County, California. He joined the department in 1969 as a patrol officer, then oversaw investigations for most of his career. He became acting chief in 1996, during a period of internal turmoil in the department, centering on his predecessor. In 1997, he became the department's chief, overseeing more than 50 officers and about 20 other employees. He held a master's degree in management and began his tenure of chief with efforts to build up his department's Professional Standards Bureau, including efforts to supplement the department's funding with grant writing. In 1998, he launched the county's first police department program of equipping motor and patrol vehicles with automated external defibrillators, which improved response times to cardiac arrest victims, the survival window of cardiac victims being less than seven minutes for administration of defibrillation equipment, with a victim's chance of survival decreasing by 10 percent each minute, and brain damage after 4 to 6 minutes. He was active with the Placentia's Rotary Club and Chamber of Commerce.
Call-Push-Shock (CPS) is a national collaborative movement co-sponsored by Parent Heart Watch (PHW) and Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation (SCAF). It is designed to drive public awareness, understanding, and action in cases of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest and increase survival rates by speaking in one voice across multiple organizations. CPS urges the public, when it witnesses sudden cardiac arrest, to call 911, provide CPR, and use an automated external defibrillator (AED), if available.
Avive is an automated external defibrillator manufacturer based in Brisbane, California. It is known for developing Avive AED and 4 Minute City program.