By Erica Smith
The Decatur Daily
ATHENS, Ala. — Athens Fire and Rescue is purchasing three automated external defibrillators (AEDs) with the city’s opioid settlement funds, and the Athens Police Department is purchasing 10 AEDs with grant money in a first step toward trying to get them in every police cruiser.
“We have three engines. We have a ladder truck, we have a reserve truck, and we have two wildland fire trucks — we call them brush trucks,” said Athens Fire Chief James Hand. “These will be going to staff the vehicles we don’t have any AEDs on. We have AEDs on all of our engines and ladder trucks and stuff. But we realized not long ago that, hey, sometimes our brush trucks will be out on a call, so they need them as well.”
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Hand said both brush trucks, which are used, for example, if a brush fire gets out of hand in a wooded area, and the reserve truck will be getting AEDs.
“Our reserve truck is only used when we have something out of service,” he said. “But if we have inclement weather or anything like that, we call in additional personnel to staff this truck, so we have plenty of vehicles on the road. That way, they have one as well.”
The Fire Department will be purchasing three semiautomatic defibrillators and three sets of adult and pediatric defibrillator pads. Hand said they currently have no need for more, but the AEDs do expire over time, and they will replace them as they go bad.
The Athens City Council this month approved the purchase of the AEDs for the Fire Department. The total cost of the three AEDs and two sets of pads is about $5,816 and is to be funded by the Athens Opioid Fund.
Athens City Clerk and Treasurer Annette Barnes said the city joined a lawsuit with other cities in order to receive the opioid settlement funds.
“It’s actually against the drug companies. These pharmaceutical companies are who are named in the lawsuit,” she said. "... It’s just for the overdistribution of opioids in general.”
Barnes said they receive money from the lawsuit annually, and they are still getting it. In fiscal 2023, the city received $242,000, about $21,000 the second year, $53,000 the third year, and so far this year, the city has received $75,000.
“We’ve spent less than $1,000 like on Narcan for the Fire Department,” Barnes said. “You’re so limited on what you can spend it on, so I think we’re really just getting started on spending it.”
The terms of the settlement provide that some of the items the opioid money can be spent on include training for first responders, schools, community support groups and families, for evidence-based prevention programs in schools, for community drug disposal programs, and for the education of law enforcement or other first responders regarding appropriate practices and precautions when dealing with fentanyl or other drugs.
After purchasing the AEDs for Fire & Rescue, the city still has about $385,815 left of the opioid money they have so far received.
At an Athens City Council meeting last month, the council approved acceptance of a grant from the Alabama Mountains, Rivers & Valleys Resource, Conservation and Development Council for the Athens Police Department to buy 10 AEDs with pediatric keys, carrying cases, and accessories at a cost of about $16,290.
“We’re going to put these in our supervisors’ cars. That way we know at least one supervisor is out on each shift,” said Athens Police Chief Anthony Pressnell. “We do have instances or calls where we get there before fire and EMS both get there. So, that would give us extra means of helping patients when they need something at that time.”
Pressnell said when his officers are first on the scene, the AEDs will help.
“We’ve had officers that had to start CPR as we’re waiting on EMS or Fire to respond,” he said. “I mean, they do a great job, they’re fast to get there, but we’re closer. So, this will give us something while we’re waiting for them to get there.”
Pressnell said they are looking into purchasing more AEDs to put in more police vehicles.
“As we purchase more, then obviously we’ll have more out at one time, and that’s what our goal is — to put one in every vehicle. We have 50 officers, so 40 more defibrillators,” he said. “The opioid money is something they told us we could use this on. We’re waiting on the quote to come in, so we can get it on the agenda and hopefully get it approved.”
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