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Ypsilanti, MI. Starting in August 2003,
the Friends of the Ypsilanti Police Department began raising money to
purchase seven automated external defibrillators
(AEDs) for the City of Ypsilanti Police
Department. Less than a year later, with generous help from
area businesses and residents, they raised
$7000 and are purchasing the AEDs through
Huron Valley Ambulance’s AED grant program. Under the grant program, HVA
provides up to $1000 for each AED. They
also negotiated a group purchase price of $2000
per AED and offer AED training at no cost to grant recipients.
One AED will stay in the Ypsilanti police station at 505 West Michigan
Avenue; another is for the department’s Mobile
Command Post, a vehicle used for special
events and large scale incidents. The remaining five AEDs will be
carried in on duty patrol cars.
Officially formed as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in 1996, the Friends of the
Ypsilanti Police Dept.’s goal was to provide
positive messages about the police to the
community. Eventually, they grew into a
fundraising organization and purchased four bicycles for
police officers to ride at the Heritage Festival and other
special events. In 1997, the Friends
created the Citizen’s Police Academy, a 10-week course where residents can
view police work from the inside. Today,
the Friends’ mission focuses on the police
officers’ work with area youth. They also fund children’s ID kits, safety
programs, and the annual Ypsilanti Police
picnic for the community. “The organization remains an
important conduit between the community and the police,” states
Margaret Ann Kildau, Friends
President.
In April 2003, HVA launched the two-year AED grant program for area fire
and police departments. Since then, they have
provided AEDs for 4 police depts. and 11 fire
depts. The program is the latest
in a series of steps to create a “Heart-Safe”
community. In 2001, HVA put state of the art 12-lead electrocardiograms in
all its ambulances, allowing paramedics to
diagnose heart attacks in the field. The paramedics
then notify emergency departments to activate their cardiac
treatment teams, who are ready for the
patient on arrival. In 2002, HVA donated 17 AEDs to “at-risk” public
locations and began providing chest pain
awareness education through a series of
newspaper ads.
Fire or police departments interested in the HVA AED grant program can
call (734) 477-6298.
Based in Ann Arbor, Huron Valley Ambulance is a nationally accredited
nonprofit community ambulance service covering Washtenaw, western Wayne,
and
southwest Oakland counties.
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