FENWICK ISLAND – Fenwick officials agreed last week to purchase new automated external defibrillators for the town’s police department and beach patrol.
The Fenwick Island Town Council voted unanimously last week to purchase replacement automated external defibrillators, or AEDs, for a total cost of $17,976.
Police Chief John Devlin noted the devices would be allocated to town hall, the Fenwick Island Beach Patrol and the Fenwick Island Police Department.
“AEDs are mandated in the patrol cars,” he said. “They are also mandated for lifeguards.”
Devlin told officials last week his initial plan was to purchase replacement batteries for the town’s existing AEDs. A quick search, however, revealed they were no longer available.
“When I was looking to purchase some last year, I found that they no longer supply batteries,” he said.
To that end, Devlin said he began looking at funding opportunities for new AEDs. He noted that the town’s AEDs have saved lives in years past.
“AEDs have been around for a while …,” he said, noting that the devices are used on those experiencing sudden cardiac arrest. “Two or three years ago, we had an officer save someone’s life at the waterpark.”
Officials noted that while the town had budgeted $5,000 for new AEDs, it would need nearly $13,000 more to fully replace the devices.
Councilman Bill Rymer, town treasurer, said that money would come from realty transfer tax (RTT) revenues.
“The entire number that needs to be spent is $17,976, and we had in our budget $5,000,” he explained. “Part of the discrepancy is that the goal was to originally buy some these past two months. As the chief learned more about how many we needed, we needed to increase the dollar figure.”
He continued, “So money in this year’s budget was never spent … That’s why the request is almost $13,000 from RTT money, plus the usage of the $5,000 that’s in the budget.”
Devlin added that he had searched for grant funding to no avail. He noted, however, that the town still needed to purchase 10 or 11 new AEDs.
“I looked for grants, like I usually do, but there wasn’t a whole lot out there for them,” he said. “But right now, the police department and the beach patrol currently have AEDs that aren’t up to par, and we need to get them up to par.”
When asked how quickly the town would receive the new AEDs, Devlin said he was unsure.
“We are having supply chain problems,” he replied. “We’re making do with what we’ve got now.”
With no further discussion, the council voted unanimously to approve the purchase of AEDs.
