By Missy Wilkinson
The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate
NEW ORLEANS — Between appearances before the City Council last week over a mass shooting and murders at a crowded second line, New Orleans Police Department Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick took time out to defibrillate a dummy.
“That kind of looks like me today. ‘Wake up, Chief! Wake up!’” Kirkpatrick quipped as she applied a device to the dummy’s chest.
Kirkpatrick, who spent much of the week addressing outcry over the bloodshed, was at the headquarters of New Orleans Emergency Medical Services to promote an expansion of life-saving capabilities for officers under her watch.
NOPD officers are often first to arrive on a scene in the critical early moments when people need medical attention. Now, 50 of their patrol cars will be equipped with automated external defibrillators like the AED Lifepak CR2 that Kirkpatrick tested, officials said.
“The key is to get defibrillators out there early,” said NOEMS Chief Bill Salmeron. “Early CPR is the key to survival.”
The new gear marks the latest step in a movement to train and equip New Orleans police for medical emergencies. Fifty officers will undergo an additional nine weeks of training to become certified as emergency medical responders, or EMRs, and qualified to use the new defibrillators, said EMS Capt. Matteo Avocato.
Nine NOPD officers have been certified so far under a new program conceived by NOPD Sgt. Andrew Packer that Kirkpatrick swiftly greenlit this year.
Those officers now carry defibrillators in their patrol cars. The remaining 41 machines will be deployed as more officers receive training. A new class launches in December with eight students, Avocato said.
The defibrillators are programmed to guide medics through the process and deliver a shock only when medically necessary. They analyze a patient’s heart rate and even issue the command: “Everybody clear!”
A gift from Ochsner Health covered the $123,000 price tag for the 50 machines. Once they’re running in the field, maintenance is expected to run about $43,000 per year, slated to come from NOEMS funds. Agency director Dr. Meg Marino said she considers that a small price.
“We hope this will improve the overall health of our community and ultimately, save lives,” said Dr. Jeffrey Kuo, system chairperson for EMS at Ochsner Health.
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