January 15th, 2021

Late last year our Fire Chief begin working on a temporary funding grant that was available for a short time. The Chief was able to complete this grant by the end-of-year deadline, and in January the department was notified that we would be awarded the grant in the amount of $105,000 to purchase two (2) new Philips Tempus Pro Cardiac Monitors and a Lucas 3 CPR device. In addition, we were able to acquire two (2) Philips AED automated external defibrillators (AEDs), allowing us to equip multiple vehicles and apparatus with this life-saving equipment that improves the care that our EMS providers can provide and increases our Advanced Life Support capabilities.

These new state-of-the-art Cardiac Monitors are capable of delivering cardiac defibrillation, perform12-lead EKG monitoring, and external pacing for an extremely slow heart rate. Furthermore, these monitors are equipped with tools to obtain vital signs such as heart rate, blood pressure, blood oxygen saturation, carbon monoxide levels, and exhaled carbon dioxide measurements utilizing special oxygen tubing. These monitors are also equipped with video laryngoscope technology assisting providers with the placement of advanced airway tubes. The monitors will allow our Medics and EMT's to recognize heart attacks early and transmits the data directly from the monitor to an incoming ambulance or MMC.

The new Lucas 3 Device is a device that is used for CPR. This device delivers high-performance, continuous chest compressions with less strain, micromanagement, and risk for the caregiver. It allows a CPR team to provide these chest compression while focusing on other aspects of resuscitation care simultaneously, which is critical when limited personnel are on the scene. The LUCAS chest compression system, provides benefits both to the cardiac arrest patient and the resuscitation team.

This new equipment will replace very old outdated AED's and a single cardiac monitor that was donated to the department a couple years ago that is no longer supported by the manufacturer. We are extremely grateful to add this new equipment to our inventory and the increased abilities it brings to the EMS care we provide in our community.