Thursday, July 11, 2013

3rd life saved in 5 years - Atlanta media outlets focus on Dunwoody Officer and AED's in every take home police car.




Christopher Irwin is feeling pretty good because he saved someone's life. Rather than go home at the end of his shift last week, the Dunwoody police officer decided to take one more call.

"The call came out as CPR in progress. Once I arrived, I grabbed my AED out of my trunk and ran up to the 10th floor along with some bystanders who were flagging me down, showing me where to go," said Irwin.

Irwin took over CPR from a bystander and then used his automated external defibrillator or AED. The machines shock patients to get their hearts started again.

"There is a little green button you push and it walks you through how to use it. There are pictures and it is pretty simple to use. Somebody with no training can use it," Irwin said.

Irwin was eventually joined by DeKalb County firefighters. They teamed up to stabilize the victim.
"Without the teamwork of everybody and the fact that I had the piece of equipment that I needed, I don't think he would have made it," Irwin said.

The 55-year-old man was rushed to the hospital. Irwin said it appears the man will be OK.
 http://www.cbsatlanta.com/story/22820041/dunwoody-officers-detour-saves-mans-life

A Dunwoody police officer is being called a hero for helping save the life of a man who went into cardiac arrest. The officer says he was only able to help because every Dunwoody patrol car is outfitted with the right equipment.

Officer Chris Irwin was on his way home after a 12-hour shift with the Dunwoody Police Department. But when a medical call came across his radio, he just couldn't ignore it. He turned his patrol car around and headed to the office building where the 911 call came from.

But he hesitates to call himself a hero.

"I didn't do anything that I don't believe any law enforcement or public safety personnel wouldn't do," said Irwin.

Irwin's first instinct was to grab the automated external defibrillator issued to every Dunwoody officer.

"If I'd not had that AED, he would not have made it," said Irwin.

Bob Lundsten approached city leaders back in 2009 about purchasing AEDs for every Dunwoody patrol car, but the money wasn't in the budget. He spearheaded a fundraising campaign called "The Heart of Dunwoody" because his wife went into cardiac arrest some years earlier.

"An AED in a police car is just as important the flares, the flashers, the radio, the computers -- because an AED, when deployed, saves a life," said Lundsten.

Dunwoody is one of the few law enforcement agencies in metro Atlanta that issues AEDs to its officers as standard equipment. Lundsten says he recently talked with city leaders in Brookhaven about doing the same.

http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/story/22819190/dunwoody-officer-hailed-s

Other related stories.

http://www.dunwoodyfarmerbob.com/2013/07/dunwoody-pd-officer-iriwn-save-life.html

http://dunwoodynorth.blogspot.com/2009/06/heart-of-dunwoody-gift-of-life-from.html

http://dunwoodynorth.blogspot.com/2009/12/heart-of-dunwoody-successfully-places.html

http://dunwoodynorth.blogspot.com/2009/09/heart-of-dunwoody-provideds-aeds-to.html

http://www.aedbrands.com/blog/2011/02/18/dunwoody-officer-uses-aed-training-to-save-a-life/

 http://dunwoodytalk.blogspot.com/2013/07/dunwoody-police-officer-helps-save-liife.html

http://dunwoodynorth.blogspot.com/2009/05/if-i-cant-have-dr-robert-albin-as.html

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