Carroll County Sheriff Deputies now have two automatic external defibrillators (AED) available to carry in their vehicles any time they are on duty.

Sheriff Tony Burns learned about a program through the Kathryn Weil Center that donated the AEDs to non-profit agencies such as churches and 501(c)(3) groups. He requested ten of the devices so that there could be one in each squad car.

Burns thought since there is no hospital in Carroll County and only two ambulances available to carry residents to area hospitals, these devices would be handy to have around, especially since the police department is usually the first on the scene of any 911 call.

"I thought maybe this was a service we could provide; possibly a life saving service," Burns said. "Time is of the essence with some of these calls."

However Burns discovered government agencies did not qualify to receive the AEDs from the Weil Center's grant. When someone from the Duke Smyser Company heard that Carroll County would not receive the equipment, the company dedicated proceeds from a golf tournament and chili cook-off, held at the Ravines Golf Course in Lafayette, to the cause.

At a cost of $2,000 each, Carroll County received only two of the defibrillators. Burns would still like to get some more. All ten officers in the department are trained to use the devices.

Mike Durr, director of Carroll County Emergency Medical Services, said it is a wonderful thing for the officers to have the defibrillators. He quoted a nationwide study that stated the first 46 minutes of a heart-related emergency are the most important.

"I want to commend the sheriff for putting them in the cars," Durr said. "It could make the difference between someone living and not living."