DEARBORN — The Dearborn Police Department will be even better equipped to serve the public with the addition of life-saving devices known as Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs), which will be placed in four patrol cars in late November.

The AEDs were purchased in part through the “Heart of the Community” project. The AEDs will allow police to treat people suffering from cardiac arrest even before emergency medical crews can arrive.

The “Heart of the Community” project is a humanitarian effort that puts AEDs, also known as cardiac defibrillators, in places where the public gathers.

“The Heart of the Community” is a collaboration of Dr. Samer Salka, a cardiologist from Premier Cardiovascular Specialists, a Dearborn/Canton/Trenton-based practice; and Najah Bazzy, R.N., a critical care nurse and founder of Zaman International.

The American Heart Association estimates that more than 95 percent of cardiac arrest victims die before reaching the hospital. A victim’s chances of survival are reduced by 7 to 10 percent with every minute that passes without CPR and defibrillation. Few attempts at resuscitation succeed after 10 minutes.

With these statistics in mind, the Dearborn Police Department set out to equip its police cars with AED units. Police officers are often the first responders during a cardiac emergency.

Officers will now be advised through the dispatch center of calls involving possible cardiac events. While the calls will still be the responsibility of emergency medical crews, officers will respond if they are in the area and available.

Officers will receive training on recognizing the need for, and operation of, an AED during events requiring CPR, as a part of the ongoing training the department provides semi-annually.