The Indiana State Police Lowell Post is hosting a local fundraiser to purchase additional Automatic External Defibrillators (AED) for patrol cars at the Lowell Post. Each post in the state is hosting a fundraiser toward the same goal.
The 5K Family Fun Run is set for Nov. 10 at 8 a.m. CT at the Indiana Dunes National Lake Shore on State Road 49. For more information, call the Lowell Post at 1-800-552-8917. If you do not want to participate in the event, but would like to donate toward the effort, visit this donation link.
This is the third year the Indiana State Police has partnered with Bolt for the Heart in an effort to place AED in each of the state patrol cars. More than 200 of the devices have been purchased through this fundraiser. Throughout the state, the goal is to raise $300,000 this year to buy 250 AEDs.
According to the American Heart Association, if the first person on the scene of an emergency knew CPR and applied an AED within five minutes of a victim suffering sudden cardiac arrest, 40,000 more lives per year could be saved. They say most victims need defibrillation to restore the heart to a regular rhythm. First responders and those trained in using the devices could increase the chance of survival.