Clay County’s investment in new lifesaving technology was put to the test within days of deployment, when a deputy used one of the county’s new automated external defibrillators (AEDs) to help save a Kearney man’s life.

Risk Manager Christine Puls recently updated commissioners on the county’s AED program and the January incident involving Deputy Vicente Vargas and 61-year-old Donlee McIntyre.

The lifesaving response came within the first week afterthe Clay County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) deployed the new Avive Connect AEDs and has since become the focus of a nationally distributed case study highlighting the county’s program.

Clay County has maintained an AED program for about 20 years, but Puls explained the county needed a plan to replace units that had reached the end of their warranties. Commissioners approved funding for the Avive devices as part of the 2025 budget, with the purchase completed later that year.

The county received 65 Avive AEDs in January after coordinating the rollout…