Life-Saving Defibrillators Donated To Southampton Town Police

The Town of Southampton Police Department were the recipients of a much-appreciated donation from a local doctor and cooperating organizations today.

In a small ceremony held at Town Police Headquarters in Hampton Bays, police accepted seven defibrillators (AEDs) as a donation from Dr. Peter Michalos of the Hamptons Health Society.

Dr. Michalos gathered donations from Gabriella and Louis Bacon of the Robins Island Foundation, the Southampton Elks Club and the Orthodox Christian Church of the Hamptons in order to purchase the seven AEDs. Defibrillators are portable paddle devices that have proven to resuscitate cardiac arrest victims during the critical time period before they reach the hospital. Gradually AEDs have been finding their way into area restaurants, schools and other public places because of their life-saving capabilities.

According to Lieutenant Michael Zarro of the Town of Southampton Police Department, six of the AEDs will be placed in patrol cars to compliment the 10 defibrillators already in service. The seventh AED will be kept at Town of Southampton Police Headquarters. According to Zarro, all Southampton Town police are certified yearly in CPR and administration of defibrillators.

Administering an AED is the third link in what the American Heart Association refers to as the “Chain of Survival,” the coordinated effort by which EMTs can bring a cardiac arrest victim back to life and on the road to full recovery.