Belleville Police cruisers are getting some brand new equipment.
After a generous $20,000 donation from local residents Ross McDougall and Rob Haggarty, Belleville Police Service is equipping all 15 of its front line vehicles with automatic defibrillators.
McDougall said he was happy to donate to make the community a little safer.
“I think for myself, I’m happy to have the opportunity to do it,” said McDougall. “I know Rob and I have given to the police service for many, many years and this time it’s for defibrillators but honestly we just want to support the police.”
Belleville Police Chief Michael Callaghan said that seconds matter during cardiac arrest and having defibrillators available in police vehicles will save lives.
“It’s another opportunity to make Belleville safer. On any given day it could be one of our loved ones that that unit is going to be used on,” said Callaghan. “We know the incidence of cardiac episodes in an aging population is going to increase, so having that in the back of my mind was a real catalyst for wanting to ensure we had this piece of equipment for our officers and our community.”
The model of defibrillator being used in the police vehicles is the same model in use with ambulances in Belleville, allowing first responders to swap between devices quickly and easily when needed.
Belleville police plan to roll out the new defibrillators once all their officers have been trained on how to operate them.
