LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — Police Sgt. Brad Lepicier has responded to calls to find someone in dire need of medical attention.

He's rushed out to his cruiser to grab an automated external defibrillator and saved a life while he waited for paramedics.

"The Police Department are on the scene first. With us getting there first, it is a plus to have those AEDs," Lepicier, also an emergency medical technician, said on Wednesday when the nonprofit Spirit of Blue Foundation donated two brand-new AEDs systems.

 

Spirit of Blue is a Chicago-based organization formed in 2011 with the goal of being a supplemental source of funding for police.

 

The foundation has given out a total of 38 grants in 19 states and Executive Director Ryan Smith says it hopes to be in all 50 states by the end of 2017.

 

"Our sole reason for living is to increase officer safety," Smith said. "It started with a $10,000 grant in Philadelphia for body armor.

 

The foundation has given out an array of items to departments — from medical equipment to flashlights to lighting. Last year, Dunkin' Donuts gave the group $100,000 to make various donations to Police Departments in New England with 17 — including Lanesborough — being awarded grants.

 

"We're committed to supporting our local communities," Linda McCarthy, director of learning people development for Cafua Management, Dunkin' Brands, said. "This is a great cause to support and we are honored to be here today."

 

The foundation found the departments to donate Dunkin's money and talked to some 124 different departments about needs. Lanesborough's grant is valued just under $4,000.

 

"These AEDs will most likely help save a life one day and we'll have the first responders police and fire and the Spirit of Blue Foundation to thank for that," Police Chief Timothy Sorrell said. 

 

The equipment is very user friendly and will be in the cruisers during shifts. Lepicier said he is among a few EMTs on the staff but that all officers are trained in using the equipment.

 

"First response has changed over the years, AEDs are now part of it," Lepicier said. "I've used them several times."

 

Sorrell said the ones in the cruisers before the donation were outdated and had battery issues. The new ones are a welcomed addition, he said.

 

"They are amazing in terms of the results they can deliver and the ability to save someone live, stabilizing them until they can get more medical attention," Smith said. 

 

Selectmen Henry "Hank" Sayers and Robert Ericson were both on hand during the ceremony to thank the organization and Dunkin' Donuts for the donation. 

 

The donation is in line with the town's 2012 efforts to install defibrillators in all town buildings. The move was in wake of a planning board member having a heart attack during a town meeting. Lepicier was on that call and said the AED in the cruiser stabilized the woman for her to be transported to Berkshire Medical Center. It was revealed then that the school's system was outdated and about half of the cruisers didn't have the systems. Town meeting voters later approved purchasing and installing one for each town building.