AEDS on Anderson Township-Owned Sheriff’s Cruisers Increase Lifesaving Options

In 2021, lifesaving devices were added to sheriff’s cruisers owned by Anderson Township to provide fast medical assistance on the scene of a sudden cardiac arrest. 

A generous grant from a former resident, Eileen Ayer, provided 28 automated external defibrillators (AEDs) that can assist in providing lifesaving measures for individuals who are not breathing and whose heart has stopped pumping. With the units, trained deputies from the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Department can now start the procedure when they are first on the scene. 

“It might be a minute, or a couple minutes, but that time can make all the difference for us if a deputy gets there before we do,” said Chris Kasperczyk, battalion chief for Anderson Township Fire and Rescue. 

“Every minute someone’s heart isn’t pumping, and the patient is not breathing, the chance of survival decreases by seven to 10 percent. The sooner you can get the AED on someone, you then have the ability to still find them in a shockable rhythm to restore a normal heart rate,” he said. 

Kasperczyk said the department makes about 40 cardiac arrest calls a year. Each AED costs about $2,200 and should last for eight years. 

The Eileen Ayer Trust providing the funding was established by former resident Eileen Ayer who died in 2018.