Jim Thorpe Police Department is able to upgrade its automated external defibrillator stock thanks to a donation from the Lehigh Valley Health Network.

Police Chief Joe Schatz accepted a $677 check from LVHN officials last month.

“We got a grant from Firehouse Subs around four or five years ago for the original AED purchases, but what we didn’t realize is over time the pads go bad or the batteries are no longer good,” Schatz said. “We reached out to LVHN, and they were gracious enough to give us the money we needed to replace them.”

An AED is used to help those experiencing sudden cardiac arrest. It can deliver an electrical shock, or defibrillation, to help the heart re-establish an effective rhythm.

Schatz said Jim Thorpe has seven of the devices in locations ranging from patrol cars to the borough office.

“We don’t think of these until we need them,” Mayor Michael Sofranko said. “The chief saw the need to update the supply, and LVHN came through with the donation. It’s a great partnership.”

LVHN also held a Stop the Bleed training for the police department in September, when emergency responders from around the area and borough employees got to practice using supplies and techniques proven to help stop severe bleeding until a person can get needed medical attention.

The training taught the responders to differentiate between severe wounds to the limbs, neck or torso. They got hands-on training on how to treat them using equipment like tourniquets and quick-clotting gauze, which can reduce by half the time it takes for a wound to clot.

“We want to thank our first responders for all they do for the community and anything we can do to help address the needs of the community, we’ll do that,” said Terry Purcell, future president of Lehigh Valley Hospital-Carbon.