Richmond County is expanding the number of AEDs available throughout the county complex in the center of Warsaw, a move that EMS Chief Mitch Paulette believes will significantly improve emergency readiness.

Last month, Paulette told the Board of Supervisors that a recent grant allowed the department to purchase new AEDs for fire trucks and the courthouse. Because the units were purchased with grant funding, the county could not trade in its older models. Since several of those older AEDs will likely still be supported for at least three more years, Paulette said the plan was to be able to put them back into the community.

The county plans to install two of the repurposed AEDs within the courthouse complex, an area that previously had no devices available. The chief said he has already ordered AED cabinets for the sheriff’s office dispatch area at the front of the building as well as for the courthouse itself.

In addition, another AED will be placed in the county administrator’s office. Once all installations are complete, that’ll be five AEDs in the county complex total, Paulette said. “Pretty significant from the outlook of where we’re trying to go with pushing these out to the public areas.”