Foundation gives AEDs to nine police departments and school district
By Kyle Carrozza, Staff Writer, The Times
Caln Police Chief Joe Elias, Superintendent of Life Safety Ray Stackhouse, and Officer Nate Miller (left to right) show off their new AED. Stackhouse and Miller resuscitated a man using a defibrillator last fall.
COATESVILLE – The Brandywine Health Foundation donated automated external defibrillators (AEDs) to nine local police forces and the Coatesville Area School District Wednesday afternoon.
To commemorate American Heart Month, the life-saving machines were given to the police departments serving the school district, Caln Township, Coatesville, East Fallowfield, Parkesburg, Sadsbury Township, South Coatesville, West Brandywine, West Caln, and Valley.
Brandywine Health Foundation President and CEO Frances Sheehan said that donations and events like Wednesday’s could help improve relations between emergency responders so that they can better work together when called upon.
“It’s really a very special community that we all live and work in,” she said.
CASD Superintendent Dr. Cathy Taschner said that the AEDs will make the district’s students safer. She said that one of the roles of a school district is to protect children, and the devices will assist in that. She expressed that she was especially thankful for the donations in a time when the district is in a tough financial situation.
“It allows us to feel much more confident and prepared,” said Taschner.
Caln Officer Nate Miller was one of the many law enforcement officers present. On October 28 last year, Miller was dispatched to a cardiac arrest call. Upon arrival, he found Glenn McClintock unconscious. With the help of Station 38, the first responders administered CPR and deployed a defibrillator, resuscitating McClintock at the scene. McClintock went on to make a full recovery at Brandywine Hospital.
“It’s one of the worst calls I’d like to be dispatched to,” said Miller. “When I heard that Glenn—through the efforts of everyone involved—was still alive, I was very excited.”
Miller said that first responders depend on the training and tools given to them by their departments and the community to do their jobs.
“I show up to work, and they provide me all the tools, whether it’s an AED, whether it’s handcuffs. They give me training, they give me the tools. My hats off to the administrators in my police department and the administrators like the Brandywine Health Foundation. They do a fine job in giving us what we need,” he said.
With his Brandywine Hospital rehab team in the audience, Glenn McClintock also thanked the Brandywine Health Foundation.
“Anything I can do to support any of your efforts, I’m all for that,” he said.
McClintock believes that the Brandywine Health Foundation’s donations might be part of a larger force than any of them realized.
“Things had to fall in line, and I believe that is what God ordained to happen,” he said.
McClintock said that he would like to share his story with anyone who could benefit from it.
