There are many cases of sudden cardiac arrest each year.     

According to the CDC, there are over 8000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in MD every year. Cardiac collapses frequently result in 911 "code" calls in Montgomery County. Montgomery County Police responders are Certified First Responders in Maryland. They are trained in the use of AEDs. But when they respond, and even when they witness a collapse, they have no AEDs, and valuable minutes are lost.

 

Some Questions, Concerns and Answers:

 

Q1. What will it cost?

A. An upper limit estimate is $300K per year for three years, followed by $100K per year for maintenance and replacement [1].(This is equivalent to between 1% and 2% of the new ambulance fee funds to be obtained from insurance companies, or 1/3 of a cent per day for each family in Montgomery County.)

 

Q2. It will take time and money to train the police in AED use.

A. The police already get training and retraining. They are Certified First Responders in Maryland. No additional training is needed.

Q3. Only one third of the Police First Responders will be covered the first year [2].

A. If AEDs are swapped out between officers starting and ending their duty shifts, the entire fleet could be covered the first year.

 

Q4. To avoid confusion, the police should use the same AEDs that Fire and Rescue use, and these cost 2-3 times as much.

A. The Fire and Rescue EMT people we have spoken to have say this is totally unnecessary. All AEDs work the same way. When Fire and Rescue start transport, they can switch to their own AEDs if they choose. The additional EKG broadcast capabilities are superfluous for police first responders.

 

Q5. Responding to "code" calls will distract police from their law enforcement work.

A. The police prioritize their calls. Nobody is asking them to leave a "crime in progress" to respond to a "code" call.

 

Q6. It has been said that the Fire and Rescue, who do have AEDs, arrive as quickly as do police [3]. 

A. That is an average. It means that Police arrive first half the time, and minutes count. Every additional minute reduces the victims chances by 10%.

Q8. Can you give us an example?

A. Sure. Mr. Kareem Ali had an out-of hospital sudden cardiac arrest on October 10, 2010. The police were present. They called Fire and Rescue, and started CPR. But they had no AED. When Fire and Rescue arrived 10 minutes later, it was too late. They restarted his heart, but he never regained consciousness, and died two days later at Holy Cross Hospital.

 

Q7. Will this require negotiation with the union?

A. The union is with us on this. They are strongly in favor of AEDs [4]. The real question is: Can the County Government take "Yes" for an answer?

 

Q8. Do other jurisdictions have police AEDs?

A. Hundreds of communities all over the United States, urban, suburban, and rural have police AEDs, including Delaware and New Jersey state police, and Hagerstown and Gaithersburg municipal police. The Rochester Minnesota police have have had AEDs for 20 years and have saved over 100 lives[5].

 

Q9. Are there potential cost savings from police AEDs?

A. Yes. Police AEDs are becoming the "standard of care".  Not having them will soon be construed as negligence.  One successful lawsuit will dwarf the cost of AEDs, and make the County wish they had done this years ago.

 Q9. In Summary, what are we asking the county to do to do?

 A. We are Asking Montgomery County to put money in the police budget to equip police first responders with defibrillators (AEDs) in their vehicles. This simple measure will save lives, improve the police image, and increase respect from the community.

Q10. Do we have a vested interest in this measure?

A. Yes. It might save our own lives some day.

Notes:

 

[1] Costs are based on the Economic Impact Statement  in the packet for Montgomery County Council Bill 26-12 Swimming Pools - Defibrillators, that became law in October 2012.  This statement assumes a five year life for AEDs, a conservative estimate.

 [2] The MCPD has approximately 900 cars, or about 300 on duty each shift.

 [3] Response times for F/R and MCPD are in budgets and annual reports.

 [4] Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 35 letter to County Exececutive Ike Leggett.