Every full-time uniformed Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office Deputy will now be equipped with an Automated External Defibrillator, more commonly known as an AED Unit, in their car.  Sheriff Jeff Shaver said deputies will receive training on how to operate the devices, which are used on people experiencing cardiac arrest. The units are fully automatic and self-adjusting to the individual in crisis.  Shaver says that AED’s have been proven to save lives, and the addition has given his office the means to better serve the community. 

According to Sheriff Shaver, officers are usually the first to arrive on the scene and being equipped with these devices will allow deputies to potentially save lives.  He added “Like us, our emergency medical units cannot be everywhere all the time, so this project will put more live-saving equipment in our county.  The value of every human life is very important to us.  We’re here for public safety, and being equipped with AEDs is one more step in providing our deputies with tools to help save lives.”

Sheriff Shaver thanked the Cherokee County Commission for their assistance in purchasing 17 of these AED units.