DeFibs4DoorCounty Donates 31 AEDs to Sheriff’s Office

The Defibs4DoorCounty fundraiser launched earlier this year by the Door County Fire Chiefs Association recently donated 31 automatic external defibrillators (AEDs) to the Door County Sheriff’s Office.

The donation, accepted by the Door County Board of Supervisors last week, will put AEDs in 23 patrol squads, four investigative squads, one field-services lieutenant squad, and three school resource officer squads.

The total donation is valued at $79,737.58.

An AED is used to help those experiencing sudden cardiac arrest. The medical device analyzes the heart’s rhythm and, if necessary, delivers an electrical shock, or defibrillation, to help the heart reestablish an effective rhythm.

More than 356,000 people experience out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in the U.S. each year. For every minute that passes without CPR and defibrillation, the chances of survival decrease 7-10%. Quickly shocking the heart of a cardiac-arrest patient with an AED can help to save the person’s life.

A $75,000 donation and matching challenge from an anonymous local donor was the catalyst for the fundraising campaign that started in February and will run through Labor Day. Along with providing new units to law, fire and EMS responders, wall cabinets with AEDs would be available to schools, places of worship, businesses and venues that frequently attract large crowds.

Find out more at defibs4doorcounty.org.