Chambers County Sheriff's Department adds life-saving devices
BY KADIE TAYLOR
THE LAFAYETTE SUN
CHAMBERS COUNTY — Through the purchase of life-saving AEDs and first-aid kits, the Chambers County Sheriff’s Office is now equipped to protect over 35,000 people across 597 square miles.
Chambers County Sheriff Jeff Nelson said that by adding AEDs to the department, the deputies are better prepared to not only protect and help citizens, but also one another.
“If these guys are at home with their family and somebody has a cardiac emergency, they're able to get that AED out of their vehicle and take care of that, or they might use it on one another when they’re out in the field,” he said. “Being able to give a piece of equipment that can save somebody's lives is the most important thing you can do as a sheriff and as a law enforcement officer. To have that capability to save lives [in the deputy vehicles], this is a no-brainer. It's just the most important thing, to be able to give these guys something to not only save the citizens' lives, but possibly each other.”
Nelson said because there is no county ambulance service, citizens who live outside of the cities must rely on the first responders, like deputies and volunteer firefighters, until an ambulance arrives.
“If we're outside of the city of LaFayette on this side of the county, and there's a cardiac emergency or any kind of medical emergency, they would give it to the sheriff's department, and they would give it to the ambulance service, so both of them start rushing to the scene,” he said. “A deputy would respond to that call, and nine times out of 10, he beats the ambulance to the call. Instead of having to stand there waiting on the ambulance to get there, the deputies are able to act and could possibly save a life by having this kind of equipment in their vehicles.”
Along with 16 AEDs, Nelson said the department also purchased two trauma first aid kits. When opened, Nelson said the first aid kits have a computer that prompts deputies through different scenarion to administer life-saving medical attention.
“There's a computer built into this, and there'll be a picture of a body standing there with his arms out,” he said. “Say, you've got an injury to a left arm, you push that arm the tap the screen where that arm is, and then it's going to give you a drop down on the type of injuries, whether it's a burn, abrasion or break. If you hit a burn, it'll ask you and describe the types of burns. And then once you click what it is, then you can come down here and it will tell you where to go [when using items from the kit], because everything's labeled [and the screen tells them] what to get out of here to treat a burn.”
The funding to purchase the AEDs and the first-aid kits was received through a grant the Alabama Sheriff’s Association secured from the opioid settlement funds, and Nelson said he will add Narcan into the kits to help deputies quickly treat an overdose.
“I have space here where I can put six Narcan in the kit,” he said. “So, they'll have Narcan in here in case they have to bring somebody out of an overdose situation.”
While offering these new life-saving devices in Chambers County, Nelson said grants, like these, allow small sheriff’s offices to purchase life-saving equipment that they would not be able to financially access otherwise.
