COPS ON (HEART)BEAT; SAN FERNANDO PUTS DEFIBRILLATORS INTO PATROL CARS.

Byline: Yvette Cabrera Daily News Staff Writer

Police patrol cars were equipped Tuesday with portable defibrillators that will allow officers to treat heart attack victims in a potentially life-saving move that puts this San Fernando Valley community on the cutting edge of emergency response.

Only two other Los Angeles County police agencies, in Monrovia and Glendora, equip squad cars with the life-saving devices. And nationwide, only about 30 police departments send officers on patrol with defibrillators.

``This is such a benefit to our community,'' said Police Chief Dominick Rivetti, noting that as recently as December a heart attack victim in San Fernando died before paramedics arrived.

``We're looking forward to our first save. We know it's coming. It's just a matter of when.''

With an average police response time of less than two minutes, Rivetti said there is a greater chance for his officers to encounter life-and-death situations on the street than for officers in larger cities. The department serves nearly 24,000 residents in a 2.4-square-mile city. Rivetti estimated his officers encounter as many as six heart attack victims a year.

``The technology complements our response time, and our response time complements the technology. It's a real good marriage,'' Rivetti said.

Nearby agencies that do not equip officers out with defibrillators offer a variety of reasons. Officials for the Glendale Police Department and the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said they prefer to rely on firefighters and paramedics to treat cardiac arrest patients.

The Los Angeles Police Department opted not to buy the defibrillators because reviews showed it is necessary to arrive within five minutes of a heart attack to put the defibrillator to use, said LAPD spokesman Osmund Bouligny.

The LAPD response time in the Valley averages eight minutes but reaches nine minutes in the Foothill and Devonshire divisions.

``The major concern was the time, and our basic response time is longer than the Fire Department's,'' said Bouligny.

Weighing four pounds, the defibrillator purchased in San Fernando is the size of a laptop computer and has easy-to-use features, such as a computerized voice that guides users.

``This is just one more tool in our toolbox,'' said Sgt. Alan Cowen, who oversees San Fernando's defibrillator program.

The machine essentially restores the victim's heartbeat by delivering an electric shock to the heart via the chest. The defibrillator is manufactured by Hewlett-Packard and sold by Laerdal Medical Corp.

Though long used by paramedics and fire departments, the defibrillator has been put to use in police departments only within the last year, said Cowen, adding that now airlines also carry defibrillators for overseas flights.

Nationwide, 1,000 people die each day of cardiac arrest, said Cowen, a former deputy fire chief and paramedic chief for the Los Angeles Fire Department, which provides paramedic services to San Fernando from two stations outside city limits.

He said about 950 of the 1,000 could have been saved if a defibrillator had been available within a couple of minutes.

The San Fernando City Council appropriated $13,000 - $3,000 each for three defibrillators, plus training expenses - on the recommendation of a police advisory council.

``Anything dealing with public safety, the City Council has never refused,'' said San Fernando Mayor Jose Hernandez. ``If you can save one person, that's money well spent.''

Though defibrillators are not yet widely used by police departments, the council did not question the necessity, said Hernandez, who a day earlier had taken his wife to the hospital because of chest pains.

``You never know when you'll need this type of service,'' Hernandez said.

Rivetti praised the council's willingness to take a chance on the technology.

``The City Council provided the leadership and resources and faith in our officers to give them the equipment to use,'' said Rivetti, who oversees 37 regular officers and 40 reserve officers, all of whom have been trained to use the device.

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3 Photos

Photo: (1) Officers Abilio Lopez, left, and Arthur Lesmez work on a mock patient in a drill in San Fernando, which equips its police officers with defibrillators.

(2--3) An employee of the company that sold defibrillators to the San Fernando Valley Police Department, plays a heart attack victim, above. At left, Sgt. Alan Cowen shows one of the new portables.

Gus Ruelas/Daily News