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The Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office received community support in their effort to update and replace the automated external defibrillator devices in their patrol vehicles, with the donation of 26 AED devices from the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Benevolent Posse.
Information provided by the Benevolent Posse, said this initial donation will be used to replace current inventory of the vital lifesaving devices as they are cycled out of service.
“This is an exciting milestone on our way to supplying 70 new AED units — one for each patrol car in the entire county — to keep Santa Barbara County residents safe with lifesaving equipment,” said Sean Koffel, President of the SBCSBP Board of Directors.
The SBCSBP is currently raising additional funds to replace every one of the old AED units by the end of 2024. Immediate access to these state-of-the-art AED devices can improve chances of survival by up to 60%, according to the SBCSBP release.
The Sheriff’s Office is adding plaques to each AED to honor the names of donors responsible for the purchase of that AED and this important upgrade in our county’s lifesaving infrastructure.
Donors will be informed each time their AED saves a life in the field.
The SBCSBP Board is making a special donation of an AED in honor of long-time Board Secretary Marianne Freeman after her passing last year – to honor her extraordinary service to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Benevolent Posse.
The Benevolent Posse focuses on enhancing relationships between the community and County law enforcement while raising funds to fill the gap between a constrained county budget and the County's increasing public needs.
If interested in supporting the SBCSBP, to learn more about the AED campaign or additional ways to support County law enforcement, visit the SBCSBP website at SBSheriffsPosse.org.