New lifesaving AEDs (automated external defibrillator) for immediate installation into the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office patrol vehicles have been donated by the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Benevolent Posse (SBCSBP).
The initial donation of these 26 AEDs, for use in the field, will replace the current inventory of these vital lifesaving devices as they are cycled out of service.
“This is an exciting milestone on our way to supplying 70 new AED units, one for each patrol car in the entire county, to keep Santa Barbara County residents safe with lifesaving equipment,” said Sean Koffel, president of SBCSBP Board of Directors
The SBCSBP is currently raising additional funds to replace every one of the old AED units.
Immediate access to the state-of-the-art AED devices can improve chances of survival by up to 60%, the Sheriff’s Department said. AEDs have a lifespan of about 15 years.
The donation is the result of the generosity and hard work of the SBCSBP’s supportive community across multiple fundraising events and donor outreach campaigns.
The SBCSBP will continue its AED fundraising campaign efforts with the goal of replacing the entire inventory of AEDs by the end of 2024.
The Sheriff’s Office is adding plaques to each AED to honor the names of donors responsible for the purchase of that AED and the upgrade in the county’s lifesaving infrastructure. The donors will be informed each time their AED saves a life in the field.
The SBCSBP Board is making a special donation of an AED in honor of long-time SBCSBP Board Secretary Marianne Freeman after her passing last year to honor her service to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Benevolent Posse.
In the recent past the Sheriff’s Posse has helped the Sheriff’s Office obtain other emergency equipment including COVID-19 personal protection equipment, protective vests, night vision goggles, specialized weapons, computer equipment, drug sniffing and patrol/tracking/bomb/explosive detection dogs, a headquarters barn for its Mounted Enforcement Unit and specialized equipment for the dive team.
The SBCSBP is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit focusing on enhancing relationships between the community and county law enforcement while raising funds to fill the gap between a constrained county budget and the county’s increasing public needs.
Learn more at SBSheriffsPosse.org.