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| Battelle donates $5,500 to the Madison County Sheriff’s Office. On hand were: (from left) Adrienne Selsor, corporate philanthropy manager for Battelle; Sheriff Jim Sabin; Gene Rowe, director of emergency management at Battelle; Chief Deputy Bob Henry; and Robert Casillas, Battelle’s community relations manager for Madison County. |
With Madison County residents’ safety in mind, Battelle donated a total of $10,500 to emergency first responders on July 25.
The Madison County Sheriff’s Office will use their $5,500 to offset part of the cost of four automated external defibril-lators (AED). Jefferson Township Fire will use their $5,000 to update fire gear.
AEDs are easy-to-use portable elec-tronic devices that analyze a person’s heart rhythms and advise a rescuer whether or not to shock the person. The device can administer the shock. If a normal heart-beat is reestablished, the heart is said to be “defibrillated.”
The Sheriff’s Office plans to place the AEDs in the cars of on-duty deputies.
“There are 467 square miles in Madison County. Our deputies on patrol are often closer to a medical emergency than what a responding squad might be,” said Sheriff Jim Sabin. “This equipment will allow them to go a step farther than CPR, giving them a stronger possibility of resuscitating the victim.”
For compatibility, Sabin is ordering AEDs from the same manufacturer that makes defibrillators used by Madison County’s EMS squads.
“If one of our deputies uses one and then the squad personnel show up, it can be plugged into the squad’s equipment,” Sabin said.
The devices cost $2,000 each and should be delivered by the end of September. Training will follow.
“We’re very appreciative of Battelle. They have always been a good neighbor for Madison County, continuing their support toward our goals of making a safer community,” Sabin said.
Bill Houk, chief of the Jefferson Township Fire Department, expressed his appreciation, too.
This marks the second consecutive year Battelle has made a contribution to the department. Last year, the money was used to replace the department’s air bag system. The air bags are inflated to lift heavy vehicles, such as rail cars and semi trucks, off of victims. They also can be used to spread the tines of farm equipment, Houk explained.
“We will likely use the money we received this year to update our fire gear to meet new standards,” he said.
About the two donations, Robert Casil-las, Battelle’s vice president of biomedical science and technology and the community relations manager for Madison County, explained that Battelle supports education and community programs to promote an enhanced quality of life for its community neighbors.
“This fulfills the Will of Gordon Battelle to give back to the community,” he said.
