FORT MYERS, FL – Fort Myers Police will now be patrolling with life-saving equipment in their cars. The new gear didn’t cost taxpayers a penny.

“We now have the tools and ability to help ourselves and help somebody else,” explained Sgt. Sean Hoover of the Fort Myers Police Department,”Quite honestly, they save somebody’s life.”

Those tools are found in brand new trauma kits, called Individual Patrol Officer Kits. They are designed to use in circumstances when officers arrive on a scene before EMS.

The police department has wanted them for a while, but didn’t have the room in their budget.

The newly formed Fort Myers Police Foundation made it happen. They purchased 100 kits for 100 patrol cars.

“This is our way of giving back to them and showing them that we appreciate what they do and appreciate who they are,” said Larry Romano, president of the Fort Myers Police Foundation.

Back in April, the foundation raffled off a new Mustang Convertible. Through that event, they were able to raise around $7,000 to buy the kits.

“For the police foundation to step forward and come up and say, ‘Hey we want to do this for you,’ was an absolute God send,” said Sgt. Hoover.

The police officers will finish training with the kits this week.

While they’re happy to have these life-saving tools, they hope they never need to use them.

NBC-2.com WBBH News for Fort Myers, Cape Coral

*Article originally found here