At Monday night’s regular Bunnell City Commission meeting, several local donors joined forces with AdventHealth Foundation – Palm Coast to present the Bunnell Police Department with a donation of four Automatic External Defibrillators (AED).
During the presentation, Bunnell Police Chief David Brannon recounted a city commission visioning workshop where City Commissioner Pete Young, a retired Florida Highway Patrol Trooper, suggested the police department equip all officers with an AED as part of their standard issue equipment. A total of 16 devices would be needed. At the time, an informal internet search indicated the average cost for an automatic AED was about $3,000 each, which was not feasible in the current budget.
Seeking community support to achieve this goal, Chief Brannon connected with Mr. John Subers, Foundation Director at AdventHealth – Palm Coast, who agreed to assist with the project. Mr. Subers enlisted additional community support from the following local businesses and their leaders:
- The TriLegacy Group
- SE Cline
- M & M Development
- Sizemore Welding
- 4C Construction
- Quantum
- AdventHealth Foundation – Palm Coast
With all the donors recognizing the vision, they agreed to jump start the effort by splitting the cost for the first four (4) AEDs with the AdventHealth Foundation acquiring the devices for a total cost of $8,088.00.
At Monday night’s presentation, Chief Brannon said, “We are so grateful for the generous support of John and the AdventHealth Foundation, and every one of these donors. These AEDs will make the difference in life and death situations. It’s because of this level of community support by genuinely good-hearted people like these, we are all proud to serve the City of Bunnell.”
Research into local emergency medical calls for service revealed Bunnell police officers, who are CPR certified, arrive on average two to three minutes before the ambulance. Chief Brannon said, “Our first responder training teaches us that without oxygen, brain cells die after 4-6 minutes. So, two to three minutes in delivering life-saving aid can make the difference between quality of life or death. When the officer attaches the AED to a patient, the selected model automatically assesses the patient, and if necessary, delivers the jolt of electricity needed to restart the heart.” He said, “It’s our hope these AEDs allow us to play a more vital role in giving the patient the best chance for life prior to arrival at the hospital.”
All the Bunnell officers will be trained by Flagler County Fire Rescue in the use of the AEDs, and one officer on each 12-hour patrol shift will be equipped with a device.
The chief’s goal is to equip each officer with an AED in their patrol car, and he is seeking grants from organizations to acquire 12 more. He said, “There’s no telling where an officer may be. Either on their way to or from work, while at work, at home, or out of town for a training course. Our officers will assist anyone in need. The goal is to decrease the time needed to deliver life-saving aid to a person in distress.”
If members of the community would like to support this effort, contact Chief Brannon at (386) 437-7508 or [email protected].
