Dear Editor: Have you ever printed a letter to the editor from a “dead man?” On December 27, 1998, I was clinically dead, but thanks to a policeman and an automated external defibrillator (A-E-Ds), I’m alive and writing this letter. American Heart Month, which was February, has focused on strengthening the chain of survival through the American Heart Association’s national theme–be An American Heartsaver! As a New Jersey resident, I’m joining with the American Heart Association to urge all law enforcement, fire and rescue vehicles, as well as places where large numbers of people gather, to acquire defibrillators and have people trained to use the device in a medical emergency. Early defibrillation is the third “link” in the chain of survival. On December 27, 1998, I was in my neighborhood driving home when I went into sudden cardiac arrest. A friend in my car at the time tells me I let out a deep breath and became unconscious and unresponsive. I was in cardiac arrest and clinically dead. My car coasted downhill and hit a utility pole. Someone in a gas station on the corner immediately called 9-1-1 but a police patrol car happened to be cruising in the area and stopped just as the gas station attendant was hanging up the phone. Unlike many New Jersey law enforcement vehicles, this police car was carrying a defibrillator. The policeman and a good Samaritan administered early defibrillation–or a shock to restart my heart. I’m alive today because the police department supported an A-E-D program and police patrol cars carried defibrillators. As the American Heart Association says, Be An American Heartsaver! I urge law enforcement and other first response vehicles to carry A-E-Ds. If you are at a public place where a large number of people gather, visit or work, you should also consider having a defibrillator available for medical emergencies like sudden cardiac arrest. For more information about defibrillator programs, training and the use of an automated external defibrillator, please call your local American Heart Association or call 1-800-AHA-USA1. Andrew Peluso