FRYEBURG – Local rescue workers have another tool to help treat heart attack victims quickly, thanks to Poland Spring.

The spring water bottling company donated $35,000 to the town’s fire and rescue department for the purchase of three external defibrillators. The devices deliver an electrical shock to a patient suffering a heart attack in order to return the heart to a normal rhythm. The devices have been credited with saving lives worldwide.

Poland Spring’s Mark Dubois said he was approached by a local resident about the need for the devices and then spoke with Fryeburg Rescue Chief Steve Goldsmith, who confirmed the service could use them.

“We talked about different things Rescue needed, but then the subject of defibrillators for each rescue unit was brought up and we went from there,” Goldsmith said.

Dubois went back to Poland Spring with a quote on the cost soon after the company agreed to purchase the devices.

The defibrillators will feature a 12-lead monitor that is the latest standard for Maine Emergency Medical Service protocol, Goldsmith said. The new units are more advanced than those currently in use by the service, and will help medics more quickly diagnose and provide emergency care for heart attack victims, Goldsmith said.

Timing is critical, and the new devices allow paramedics in the field to see different heart angles. Rapid transport by air, if necessary, can be called for quickly, Goldsmith said.

The new defibrillators have proven more successful in saving lives, Goldsmith said.

“We are happy that we can help out the community and be a good neighbor,” Dubois said. The devices were formally presented to Fryeburg Rescue on June 20.