A device that is used to help shock a heart back to a normal rhythm called an AED can now be found in local patrol vehicles thanks to Washington County Public Health.

AED stands for automated external defibrillators. At the recent Board of Health meeting, administrator of Washington County Public Health Danielle Pettit-Majewski explained they purchased two for the police department and five for the sheriff’s office that will be placed in law enforcement vehicles, “There’s different units that go in the officers’ vehicles that are more able to sustain the moving and the bumping around of being in a vehicle. They’re a little bit pricier but it’s a good investment.” The in-car units cost about $2,200 each and those you find in buildings are about $1,500. Last grant cycle the department also purchased five for the sheriff’s office and has installed them in the courthouse, Orchard Hill, and the public health office in the past.