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Fairfax County police are placing 40 automated external defibrillators in patrol cars under a pilot program designed to get lifesaving treatment to cardiac arrest patients faster.

The devices will be distributed among the county’s eight police stations, with five AEDs assigned to each station per shift.

Officer Eric Acevedo, the department’s lead special operations paramedic, said officials have pursued an AED program for some time. Similar police initiatives are not especially common in Northern Virginia, he said.

Because officers are already patrolling throughout the community, they can often reach an emergency before Fire and EMS personnel. The program’s goal is to use that head start to begin CPR and deliver an electric shock capable of restoring a regular heart rhythm.

Officers assigned to use the AEDs will receive specialized instruction. Fairfax County police officers also must complete detailed CPR training before graduating from the training academy.

Acevedo said previous efforts to equip officers with emergency medical supplies have improved their ability to help at crashes and other traumatic incidents. Those programs provided tactical emergency casualty-care training as well as tourniquets and chest seals.

Speed is critical during sudden cardiac arrest. Acevedo said a person who goes more than 10 minutes without CPR or an AED generally has less than a 10% chance of survival. If an officer arrives with an AED within three minutes, he said, the potential survival rate can reach 70% to 80%.