Madison Police, Guilford Company Partner To Save Lives

MADISON, CT —Lifesavers.

That's what you get when an award-winning Guilford company partners with the Madison Police Department.

Defibtech, which designs and manufactures life-saving resuscitation devices including automated external defibrillators (AEDs), recently delivered six of the devices to Madison police; the department purchased four defibrillators, and the company donated two more.

Defibrillators are used to help people experiencing a sudden cardiac arrest, or heart attack. Sophisticated but easy-to-use, they're portable medical devices that analyze heart rhythms and can deliver defibrillation, which is an electrical shock, to get the heart back to its rhythm.

According to the Red Cross,"Sudden cardiac arrest is among the leading causes of death in the United States. In fact, more than 350,000 people will suffer a cardiac arrest this year. Currently, the only way to restore a regular heart rhythm during cardiac arrest is to use an AED."

Madison police Capt. Joseph Race said police cruisers will house the defibrillators "for use in response to medical emergencies throughout the town of Madison."

Defibtech's vice president of global sales Joseph Mullally said the company is, "Delighted to work with Madison PD to ensure the town has access to our lifesaving technology."

"As a Madison resident myself and a local business we are very focused on making sure we deploy AED’s to our local communities. We know that sudden cardiac arrest affects the lives of 350,000 people each year across the United States and the survival rate is less than 10 percent. We also know how crucial it is for an AED to be used quickly when saving a life."

Race said the collaboration with the Guilford company will help save lives.

"The Madison Police Department would like to thank Defibtech for their generosity and we look forward to a successful partnership in saving lives throughout the town," he said.