The Box Butte County Sheriff’s Office has received a set of six AEDs, which it hopes to use to save lives.
The Sheriff’s Office, as well as the Brand Committee, which received four AEDs, benefited from a major grant to the Department of Health and Human Services from the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust. The Trust awarded a $6.4 million grant to distribute Automated External Defibrillators to law enforcement agencies throughout the state.
Deputy J.D. Sutphen explained that having an AED in each vehicle and one in the jail can help save lives in emergency situations.
“There are times when we can beat the ambulance there just because we happen to be in the neighborhood,” said Sutphen. “I’d rather do this than just have to sit there and wait for an ambulance to show up. It could be a deal where it’s a matter of life and death, and we’d happen to be right there in the neighborhood, we might be able to save their life. I think that was the whole goal of this grant project was to get these out there to see if we can save a few extra lives.
“We may be able to get there before the ambulance and get them hooked up to this, maybe shock them, get them back into rhythm, get them breathing and give them a fighting chance to get to the hospital where they can get advanced care, over having to wait that extra 10-15 minutes for an ambulance to show up, especially in the rural areas,” said Sutphen.
Sutphen noted that the AEDs are easy to use and come with guides that tell the user when to use the device. He expressed his gratitude for receiving the devices.
“I think it’s a great opportunity for the Sheriff’s Office to have these available, and for us to make use of,” Sutphen said. “We’re just hoping we can make a difference.”