By Michael Ko, The Seattle Times
The Seattle police and fire departments, working with the American Heart Association, yesterday announced plans for an ambitious, $900,000 fund-raising campaign to buy portable defibrillators for every police patrol car in the city.
Police Chief Gil Kerlikowske said police officers are often the first to respond to emergencies, and the use of an automatic external defibrillator “can mean the difference between life and death.”
The Police Department has average of 10 to 12 life-saving and rescue opportunities every year, Kerlikowske said.
The defibrillators cost about $2,400 each. There are more than 200 Seattle Police Department patrol cars.
That accounts for about half the projected fund-raising goal; the rest of the money would cover the costs of training officers, installing the defibrillators and buying additional defibrillators for precinct stations and other police facilities, police officials said.
Kerlikowske and Acting Fire Chief Gregory Dean said yesterday they hoped the campaign would strengthen the relationship between their departments.
Members of both departments have been arguing for several years over who is in charge of dive rescues and firefighting in the city’s waterfront areas.
While the defibrillators will be placed in police cars, the Fire Department will be responsible for training.
Research by the Heart Association shows that when a person suffers a sudden heart attack, his or her chance of survival decreases by 7 to 10 percent for every minute that passes without defibrillation.
Twelve defibrillators already have been purchased with existing Police Department money and placed in various police facilities.