Peabody Police Department saves 6 lives in 2 years with the help of a defibrillator
The Peabody Police Department has used a portable defibrillator over 30 times to help people who suffer a cardiac arrest. They have managed to save at least six lives with the use of these machines in the past two years. Lt. Joe Berardino says that he personally knows six people who have been saved with the use of a defibrillator. This is the reason why he and Police Chief Robert Champagne are very happy by the fact that Eastman Gelatine Corp. has recently donated two defibrillators to the police department.
There are a total of 14 portable defibrillators present in the Peabody department. As a result, each cruiser is equipped with a defibrillator. However, since these defibrillators had been purchased five years back, their warranty has run out and hence the department is looking to replace them with newer and better models. According to Champagne, the department does not have enough funds to replace these machines since the average cost of a defibrillator is $2,000.
Champagne is hoping that there will be more firms like Eastman Gelatine Corp. who will come forward and donate defibrillators. He says that such donations are not only necessary for the police or fire department, but for schools and churches as well. He visualizes a day when the defibrillator will become as common as the fire extinguisher and will be hanging on every wall where people gather.
Bruce Watkins, Eastman Gelatin President and General Manager, says that giving a gift of a defibrillator is the kind of welfare service that the firm is always happy to do.
The defibrillator, albeit smaller than a briefcase in terms of size, gives a life-saving shock to the heart that is hundreds of times stronger than the impact of a stun gun on an escaped criminal. Champagne says that the defibrillator is a remarkable tool. He says that there is hardly anything more important than saving a life that a police officer can do.
Boston Police Officer Al Scotina was the last person saved by a Peabody police officer with the use of a defibrillator. Scotina suffered a sudden heart attack in an Italian restaurant. According to Berardino, he was suffering a full cardiac arrest and was able to recover after a defibrillator was used on him.
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