Sudden cardiac arrest - it can happen to anyone, anywhere, anytime and at any age. Once it does happen, every minute, every second is precious.

The faster a heart starts beating normally, the less organ and tissue damage a victim is likely to suffer.Dan Lang of Hometown, a registered nurse and paramedic for the Lehigh Valley Health Network, knows the importance of early intervention.That's why he decided to find a way to provide Automated External Defibrillators to local police departments. "Many times, police officers are the first responders to cardiac arrests. Providing them with AEDs is one way to get help to patients more quickly," he said Monday morning as he presented 30 devices to 10 police departments.Lang, who serves as the LVHN Police AED program coordinator, went to the John E. Morgan Foundation for help. The foundation came through with a grant of $46,700 to buy 30 AEDs, and Dr. Eric Bean, an emergency room physician with LVHN agreed to serve as medical director for the program.Lang is also a longtime volunteer with local ambulance organizations. The average response time for an ambulance to arrive on scene, after a call is placed to 911, is 8 to 12 minutes. The nationwide survival rate for someone suffering a cardiac arrest is 10 percent without immediate intervention. Every day, there is an average of 1,000 adults and 26 children going into cardiac arrest in the United States. "AEDs improve that survival rate to 40 percent," Lang said.AEDs are portable, electronic devices that automatically register if a patient is suffering from a shockable cardiac event, which includes ventricular tachycardia (V-Tach) and ventricular fibrillation (V-Fib).Both cause the heart to have an irregular beat (arrhythmia). The machines are designed to re-establish a regular beat.The device is designed for use by the average person. It does everything, from telling you when to press the button to deliver the shock, to giving you a rhythm to provide CPR. If you can apply a sticker, you know how to use an AED.Local departments that will be equipped with the new Phillips Headstart Rx AEDs are Coaldale, Lansford, Nesquehoning, Summit Hill, Rush Township, Ryan Township, Schuylkill Township, Tamaqua, Walker Township and West Penn Townships. Representatives from those departments were on hand Monday to receive their donations.Lansford Chief Jack Soberick summed it up by saying, "The safety of our communities is our number one priority. These will help us save lives."