News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sisters' EMTs will soon have new state-of-the-art equipment to care for heart attack patients, thanks to a grant awarded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
The Sisters-Camp Sherman Rural Fire Protection District successfully applied for a $102,492 Assistance to Firefighters Grant. The district has to contribute 5 percent, and thus will actually receive $97,368, according to Deputy Fire Chief Ken Enoch.
"We are going to be buying two 12-lead cardiac defibrillators," Enoch said.
The district already has a pair of 12-lead defibrillators, but they are several years old. The upgraded models will allow the district to have units on all of its ambulances or perhaps one might be placed on a fire truck.
EMT Rob Harrison explained the features of the new defibrillators.
"It gives you 11 different looks at the heart," he said. The unit also gives blood pressure readings and measures oxygen saturation.
By measuring electrical activity in different areas of the heart, EMTs can pass along a more precise understanding of the problems facing a patient.
"We can call the hospital and let them know they're showing signs of heart attack in this area of the heart," Harrison said. "They'll have a good idea of what area of the heart they're going to be trying to establish blood flow to before we even show up."
Seconds can be critical to a heart patient. "Time is muscle" is the watchword; the longer the muscle is starved of blood, the greater the damage.
Other life-saving equipment is also on the purchase list.
"The grant will also buy two hands-free, automated CPR devices," Enoch said. "Basically that is a unit that does chest compressions."
Enoch said that studies show that the automated units are more consistent over time than a person can be. More importantly, the unit allows an EMT to perform other tasks while CPR is being conducted.
The final purchase made possible by the grant will allow paramedics to train realistically on a highly sophisticated training mannequin.
EMTs can practice IV insertion, intubation, defibrillation and more. The "dummy" even makes realistic lung sounds and has an adjustable trachea to allow simulation of the kinds of breathing difficulties paramedics might encounter in the field.
"You can close the airway like it's swollen," Enoch said.
The department is looking at demos of several different models of the defibrillator and the CPR unit.
Enoch credited a department volunteer for her efforts in securing the grant.
"One of our volunteers, Elizabeth McKittrick, wrote both of the grants we've received recently," he said. "She's been doing a great job for us and we really appreciate her work on the grant."
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
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