MAYFIELD TWP. — The odds of surviving a heart attack in Mayfield Township increased dramatically Wednesday with the donation of two automated external defibrillators (AEDs) that will be stored in the patrol vehicles of contracted Lapeer County Sheriff Dept. deputies who serve the township.

The Steel Patriots Motorcycle Club, a 17-member club of current and retired law enforcement officers and firefighters, donated the life-saving equipment manufactured by Philips specially designed for law enforcement use. The units cost $2,000 each.

Norman Barbieri Jr., vice president of the Steel Patriots, said the club expects to donate 10 to 12 AEDs in 2023 for a total of approximately 25-30 units in the last several years. “Nothing but good will come from these. We know there have been four or five saves from AEDs we’ve donated to organizations since we started doing this,” he commented. “When someone has a heart attack and they have no heartbeat, people only have a few minutes to live if their heart isn’t restarted. These units save lives, because it might be 10 or 15 minutes for an ambulance to arrive especially in rural communities where they’re coming from some distance away.”

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