Pepin County Sheriff’s Office begins ‘Project Defibrillator Replacement’

By Laura Berndt

Local emergency responders are ready to help people in need at a moment’s notice. To help those people, however, the emergency responders need the right tools, including Automatic External Defibrillators (AEDs.)
AEDs are used to restore a normal heart rhythm for victims of sudden cardiac arrest. The Pepin County Sheriff’s Office and Durand Police Department do have AEDs on hand, but they are outdated and reaching the end of their projected lifespan.
As AEDs are valuable, life-saving tools, the Sheriff’s Office has begun work on “Project Defibrillator Replacement,” which aims to replace seven Pepin County Sheriff’s Office AEDs and two Durand Police Department AEDs.
The current defibrillators were purchased in 1991, and the manufacturer stopped supporting these models in 2015. This means that, if these machines break or malfunction, they cannot be repaired. “We’re really on borrowed time,” said Sheriff’s Office employee and Project Defibrillator Replacement coordinator Don Sinz.
Each AED costs approximately $2,429. To purchase nine AEDs, the total cost is projected to be $21,861.
Although the Sheriff’s Office has applied for grants, the applications were not successful. For this reason, the Sheriff’s Office decided to undertake “Project Defibrillator Replacement” in effort to raise the funds necessary to replace the AEDs.
There are also around 32 AEDs stationed at locations throughout the county, including schools, churches, and businesses.
Sinz explains that the machines in the squad cars were selected for replacement because they are used more often, and have also faced harsher conditions, including extreme heat/cold, and the vibrations of the road during travel. “If any of them are going to fail, it’s going to be those,” said Sinz, referring to the AEDs in the squad cars.
Although the AEDs are not used on a daily, or even weekly basis, they are capable of saving lives. In November of 2016, an individual went into cardiac arrest within the City of Durand. Doctors say that local officers’ quick response, and their use of an AED, saved his life. This local story is just one countless example of the device’s life-saving capability.
In 2015 alone, the Pepin County Sheriff’s Office responded to over 403 medical calls, including 162 that were cardiac-related. Often, the officers from the Durand Police Department and/or the Pepin County Sheriff’s Office are the first to arrive at the scene.
When an individual undergoes cardiac arrest, they must receive rapid defibrillation within a matter of minutes in order to survive. When sudden cardiac arrest occurs, most victims experience an abnormal heart rhythm known as ventricular fibrillation. In this state, electrical energy is present within the heart and, if the heart is shocked quickly, a regular rhythm can still be restored. “That time is precious,” said Pepin County Sheriff Joel Wener.
That’s why it’s critical, said Sinz, for first responders to have functioning and reliable equipment on hand. “They really do work, and we do need these,” he said. “We really need to get these replaced.”
As part of Project Defibrillator Replacement, the Sheriff’s Office is accepting donations of any amount to help fund the AED replacements. “There’s a lot of people that can’t be police officers, and can’t be on the fire department and/or ambulance service, but they can help out the community by making a donation toward this,” Sinz said.
Already, the community has responded with donations. Sheriff Wener and Sinz agree that each and every donation is appreciated, but they also acknowledge they are far from reaching their goal of $21,861.
“In the spirit of giving, we’re hoping that people will help us out,” Sinz said. “It’s a lot of money to raise in a small community but, if everybody just gives a little bit, we can get there.”
Tax-deductible donations to the Project Defibrillator Replacement effort can be mailed to the Pepin County Sheriff’s Office (Attention Don Sinz) at 740 7th Avenue West, Durand, WI, 54736.