AED Superstore and Sacred Heart Hospital Foundation Team Up to Protect Community

To protect and save

Saving lives and protecting the public is the foundation of police work. One Northwoods police department will now have the means to do both more quickly. On Thursday, November 3, 2016, representatives from Sacred Heart Hospital Foundation and AED Superstore went to the Tomahawk Police Station to present Chief Al Elvins with AEDs for their buildings, along with the additional supplies to handle any sudden cardiac arrest emergency.  

Sudden cardiac arrest can happen to anyone, at any time, anywhere, and AEDs are critical to those who succumb to it. When used quickly in conjunction with CPR, the chances of surviving sudden cardiac arrest increase dramatically. Since police officers are often the first to arrive at the scene of an emergency, having these life-saving devices available in their vehicles means more lives saved.  

The Tomahawk Police Department knew they had to find a way to equip their officers with these devices to protect the members of their community. In August and September, they began working with the Sacred Heart Hospital Foundation, fundraising for a purchase of 6 more AED units to outfit all of their squad cars. Many members of the community joined forces to raise funds for this worthwhile cause. Most notably, Tomahawk Community bank provided $1700.00, the Animal Clinic of Tomahawk donated $1000, and Park City Credit Union and Park City Investments donated $500.00. In September the Rodeo Saloon hosted a fundraiser which resulted in enough funds to pay for the AEDs for their squad cars. AED Superstore then met with the Sacred Heart Foundation to determine what other AEDs and accessories were needed so they could make sure it was all covered and split the bill. In addition to the purchased AED units for the squad cars, Tomahawk will also receive AEDs for other community buildings, CPR/AED Training for all officers, AED cabinets, a maintenance program for the life of the units, spare electrode pads, and pediatric electrode pads.

“Our goal at AED Superstore is simple,” said Cindy Dunbar, Director of Customer Care at AED Superstore. “The more AEDs out there, the more people properly trained in AED/CPR use – the more lives saved. When the Sacred Heart Hospital Foundation came to us with the opportunity to team up and help one of our local townships have complete AED coverage, we were thrilled. As a team we have made sure Tomahawk is fully prepared to take care of their citizens in a Sudden Cardiac Arrest situation, and that is why we do what we do. That is who we are.”