 So we're happy to announce a partnership this morning with the Floyd County Sheriff's Department Sheriff John Hunt several weeks ago Sheriff Hunt reached out to us in a way that is unconventional for EMS and law enforcement to work He had a need to equip his sheriff's cruisers with AEDs and the American Heart Association Told us for years early defibrillations saves lives So we partnered with the sheriff and AMR lifeguard so that each sheriff's cruiser in Floyd County is now going to have an AED. This is a service that's going to really Help the outcome of patients that may Experience a sudden cardiac arrest in Floyd County. Our deputies are all over the county all the time Oftentimes they're there before EMS is so if they encounter a patient that's in cardiac arrest and we can get early Defibrillation we know that the outcomes for those patients They have the opportunity to leave the hospital more and go back home And that's that's what EMS and first responders are all about is changing situations our commitment to Floyd County is Growing as we partner with the sheriff as we partner with our first responders our fire departments And this is an exciting thing that we can do to enhance the lives of all Floyd County citizens The sheriff has worked to already get all of his deputies American Heart certified in the Provider category, which means they've already been trained to use the AEDs They're fully automated AEDs you turn them on you put the patches on the patient It tells you where to put them It tells you to stand clear while it analyzes the rhythm and then it will tell you whether to deliver a shock or not Upon delivering a shock you simply have to mash a button on the AED that delivers the shock and then it will start The process it will tell you how much CPR to do. It's amazing that these things are found in airports They're found in subway stations. They're found in churches But now we're putting them in the back of our our first responders vehicles So they're everywhere that they are when we're not We have several EMTs on our staff as deputy sheriffs so Burt came to the office one day and he were to we he and I were talking and we were just talking about how In today's world Law enforcement and medical is hand-in-hand and it's getting more so with the drug problem If a medical ambulance responds to a call it almost always Requires a law enforcement officer and vice versa if a law enforcement response to a call it always ends up needing medical Some kind of support with the shortage of medical personnel and EMTs It would be great if every one of our cruisers and every one of our deputies were trained and had access The portable defibrillators and men in no time Bert said listen, we're on board. We want to do that that's where we're going to partnership and That's what's happened in days later. He confirmed that he had me an AED for every cruiser that we have on the road To serve Floyd County would have a defibrillator in the trunk So what I'm doing today is my deputies don't even know it This is the first time to be announced as you just watched every deputy that I have who is trained in emergency medical field EMT or paramedic. I will pay them hourly wage will increase Accordingly and any deputy that I have that wants to go through the training as you just heard Bert say well They will offer that training free will also be a part and their pay will be increased Based on that service. I might get weekly calls about how deputy Stepped in and did some kind of act that was outside of law enforcement That helped at a time when somebody needed whether it was medically or whatever and our can so That's a good feeling and to know that we're equipped to better serve our people. That's what this is all about That's why everyone to be sure of is to better serve our people to give them the Support and the service that they require and they need and they ask for and this is one way to do that Considering that we have a certain number of EMTs in the state and a certain number of paramedics in the state and folks Just aren't entering this career field This is an opportunity that to my knowledge hasn't been done anywhere Especially in eastern Kentucky where we partner with our local law enforcement to make sure they have the same training as our folks on the Ambulances it's it's another way for us to grow our resources and to increase our capabilities to all of the citizens we serve