ALEXANDRIA, Ky. — A Northern Kentucky police officer helped save a man’s life just 2 days after a new public safety initiative put automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in patrol cars across the region.
Alexandria Police Officer Whitney Buerger was dispatched to a home on Nov. 15, 2024, where she found a man, Matt, collapsed in his living room, according to a news release from Avive Connect. Matt’s partner, Jasmine, and her mother had already begun CPR. Without hesitation, Buerger grabbed an Avive Connect AED from her cruiser — a device she had only received 48 hours earlier.
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Although she hadn’t yet received formal training on the device, Buerger followed the prompts and, within 26 seconds, delivered a shock that restored Matt’s pulse before EMS arrived. He has since returned home with his family.
For Buerger, the moment was personal. She survived sudden cardiac arrest as a teenager.
“The AED is more than just compressions — it’s advising the shock, it’s telling us to keep going, it’s letting us know we’re doing the right thing,” she said. “This time, I got to give someone else the same second chance I once had.”
The initiative to equip every law enforcement cruiser in Northern Kentucky with AEDs began in 2023, shortly after NFL player Damar Hamlin’s on-field cardiac arrest. What started as a conversation in the Rotary Club of Cincinnati quickly grew into a regional partnership between the Rotary Clubs of Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky, St. Elizabeth Healthcare and The Christ Hospital Health Network.
A month after the save, Buerger was recognized by city leaders for her quick response. At the Dec. 19, 2024, Alexandria City Council meeting, she received the Excellence in Service Award for her lifesaving efforts.
With funding and support from the hospitals, 168 Avive Connect AEDs were purchased for 38 agencies across six counties. Deployment was completed in November 2024.
“This project shows what’s possible when law enforcement, healthcare and community leaders work together,” said Garren Colvin, CEO of St. Elizabeth Healthcare.
The program marked its first save within 48 hours of the rollout — proof, organizers said, that getting AEDs into the hands of officers can mean the difference between life and death.
