Nicholasville Police Department makes big investment in life-saving devices

Yahoo

5 days ago

NICHOLASVILLE, Ky. (FOX 56) — Since becoming chief of the Nicholasville Police Department in 2023, Michael Fleming has set out to ensure that the law goes far beyond arrests and incarceration.
His mission is to work to have the police department play a bigger role within the community.
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'Our whole goal is to do much more in this community than just take people to jail. It's all about community service. And what better way to serve the community than to have tools in every officer's hands that can save lives,' said Fleming.
One of those tools is the automated external defibrillator—more commonly known as an AED.
'It's a great tool for not only cardiac arrest but opioid response as well. A lot of opioid overdoses result in cardiac arrest,' Fleming explained. 'We are usually closest to these types of calls. And for officers to have this type of tool on hand immediately saves time. And time is what you know is paramount when you're talking about saving a life that's in cardiac arrest.'
Previously, the Nicholasville Police Department had about eight bulkier, less advanced AED units. Now, Fleming said the department bought 85 smart AEDs. That is enough for every patrol officer, detective, administrator, and even school resource officer to have with them wherever they go.
The devices are also connected to the 911 dispatch system, meaning officers can be alerted to emergencies even when they're off duty.
'It's great for officers. They even will take it into their house at night, and one of their neighbors can end up having a cardiac event, and they could rush over and save their life,' he said.
Perhaps the most important aspect of the new AEDs, though, is that they are incredibly easy to use. Simply by turning the device on, it begins telling the user what to do, as well as providing safety instructions.
The device can be used in English or Spanish.
Fleming demonstrated using the device in an interview with FOX 56 News.
He pointed out how the device tells the officer when to begin doing CPR. It even plays a ticking rhythm to do chest compressions to.
'For officers that are CPR trained once every two years, this is giving them those step-by-step instructions for that high-stress time when they may forget something,' said Fleming. 'Really, the AED's telling them everything.'
Equipping the department with these advanced AEDs didn't come cheap. The total cost was more than $200,000. However, the investment was made possible through Kentucky's share of 2022 legal settlements with opioid manufacturers that contributed to the rising opioid crisis.
Fleming pointed out that these devices are a good thing this money is going toward.
He told FOX 56 he is hopeful that the new AEDs will help officers save some lives when duty calls.
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