Defibrillators for all

published 3/1/2007

When law enforcement agencies answer emergency 911 calls, they occasionally encounter situations where they must assist heart attack victims.

The most effective treatment for cardiac arrest is a combination of CPR and electric shock to the heart, usually provided by a defibrillator. The House Public Safety Finance Division approved a bill to make sure that the necessary tools are available to all.

Sponsored by Rep. John Ward (DFL-Brainerd), HF687 proposes appropriating $200,000 for law enforcement agencies outside the Twin Cities metropolitan area to purchase defibrillators. The bill has been laid over for possible inclusion in an omnibus bill.

Buck McAlpin, president of the Minnesota Ambulance Association, said that in some rural areas, it can take an ambulance 45 minutes to respond to a call, where a squad car may be five blocks away. These funds will help those areas that can’t afford the equipment more prepared, he said.

A companion bill, SF334, sponsored by Sen. Paul Koering (R-Fort Ripley), was laid over Feb. 21 by the Senate Public Safety Budget Division.

- Mike Cook