The Mercer Island Fire Department recently secured brand new, lifesaving AED (automated external defibrillator) devices for Mercer Island Police Department officers to utilize in every police patrol vehicle and on board its Marine Patrol boats. Officers are all first-aid trained and are immediately dispatched to every medical call involving a cardiac arrest. Officers are often already driving around the Island and can arrive to the scene ahead of the fire trucks and begin CPR. “This teamwork between us and our fire department can mean the difference between life and death when every minute counts,” the police department noted. Pictured are, from left to right, fire department Lt. Ray Austin, the police department’s Sgt. David Canter, officer Jordan Tranter and officer Luiz Paz and firefighter Joe White. Photo courtesy of the Mercer Island Police Department
Mercer Island Fire Department Lt. Steve McCoy and a battalion chief are currently deployed to Maui, Hawaii, as part of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) National Urban Search & Rescue (US&R) Response System following the recent devastating wildfires in the area.