FOP presents AED to Union County Sheriff’s Office
The Union County Sheriff’s Office and the Murphysboro Police Department on Oct. 23 each received two Automated External Defibrillators, AEDs, as part of a grant from the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation.
The AEDs are being distributed in the state through the Illinois Fraternal Order of Police, FOP, State Lodge.
“You always hope that you don’t need an AED, but you’re sure glad first responders have one when you do,” Illinois FOP State Lodge president Chris Southwood said in a news release.
“We can’t thank Firehouse Subs enough for their donation that will help these Southern Illinois law enforcement officers in their mission to serve and protect the public.”
An AED is a device that measures heart rhythm and can send a shock to the heart in order to treat sudden cardiac arrest.
With police officers often first on the scene, especially in rural areas, these devices are becoming more and more important.
The $250,000 Firehouse Subs grant will help to get 263 AEDs into the hands of police and law enforcement personnel across the country, including 28 to Illinois departments.
The Illinois FOP State Lodge is working with local law enforcement to identify areas in Illinois with the biggest need for this life-saving device.
In 2005, the Firehouse Subs founders established the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation with the mission of providing funding, life-saving equipment, and educational opportunities to first responders and public safety organizations.
The foundation has given more than $24 million to hometown heroes in 46 states, Puerto Rico and Canada.
More information about the program can be found online at www.FirehouseSubsFoundation.org
The Fraternal Order of Police, founded in 1915, is the largest organization of sworn law enforcement officers in the United States.
The Illinois FOP, chartered in 1963, is the second largest state lodge, representing more than 34,000 active duty and retired police officers – more than 10 percent of all FOP members nationwide.