PLACENTIA

After a three-month trial by the Police Department, the City Council on Tuesday decided to use a $14,500 grant to buy six Survivalink Defibrillators for the department. Police Chief Daryll Thomann said the portable, hand-held device is easy to operate: In medical emergencies, its electrodes are attached to the chest area of a person who may be experiencing a heart attack. If dangerous heart rhythms are detected, the device will send an electrical shock in an effort to restore a regular heartbeat. Because police sometimes arrive at emergency scenes before paramedics, Thomann said use of the devices may save lives.