A Shock For Your Life

We usually think of a defibrillator as a standard piece of equipment for an ambulance, not a police car. However, when John Schanning collapsed in his Waterford, Wisconsin home several years ago, it was his good fortune that an officer was nearby with a set of the paddles in his car.

Schanning, who is a police officer himself, was seen by his wife as he collapsed, and she quickly called 911. A deputy from Racine County, WI was patrolling nearby with a defibrillator in his car acquired just the week before. The officer gave Schanning two shocks with the defibrillator, enough to get his heart beating again until he reached the emergency room, where the paddles had to be used four more times on him.

This piece of equipment, which costs around $1500, may seem like it would be used by medical professionals only, but it is becoming more and more common in police cars, as well as schools and public buildings. Supporters of having the device in squad cars note that the police are often the first to arrive at an emergency scene, before the fire department and ambulance. They require some training to operate, but are not too complicated; the instructions are printed on the machine, and the device will register if the patient has a heartbeat, and advise the operator not to use the machine.