Rock Spring, GA – Walker County residents just got a little safer. Emergency crews joined forces today to make upgrades to the county’s Automated External Defibrillator (AED) program.

Walker County Emergency Management used a portion of a Georgia Emergency Management grant to replace AED batteries in 23 Walker County Sheriff’s Office patrol cars. Deputies often arrive to the scene of an emergency minutes before fire and EMS crews, because of the geographic challenges of the county.

Roughly 10 cases of cardiac arrest occur in Walker County every month. These devices significantly increase a patient’s chances of survival.

The grant also funded new AED’s for the Local Government Services office, aka the Tags & Taxes building, and the Fire Department Shift Commander’s vehicle. Supplies for these units and AED’s inside the jail were also restocked.

Approximately $16,000 of the grant remains unspent. Emergency Management officials continue to evaluate the county’s future emergency equipment needs.