March 29, 2024 Local Stories in and Around St. Joseph, Illinois

New fire district equipment will help save lives

The new addition to the St. Joseph-Stanton Fire Protection District will help save lives, said Fire Chief Josh Reese.

The district recently purchased a Lucas Chest Compression System, also known as an automated CPR device.

“It allows us to do high quality CPR for a long time as it doesn’t get tired like a human doing CPR,” Reese said.

The district recently held training for the device.

The device is placed over a patient’s chest and starts doing CPR compressions.

This machine allows first responders to focus on other tasks such as delivering oxygen, using an automated external defibrillator or pushing meds.

Meanwhile, the machine will keep compressions going at a set rate and depth.

“ It does CPR freeing us up to put in airways, do IVs and other interventions where before one or more people would always be responsible for chest compressions,” Reese said. “It allows us to CPR to continue while we are moving patients.”

Reese said it also makes ambulance trips safer for first responders because they no longer have to stand in a moving vehicle to do CPR.

“It’s a great additional tool to the district to hopefully help save lives,” he said.

The district has been working to procure the machine for years. They would apply for grants but were never selected.
Senator Chapin Rose notified the district that they could use the funds for equipment that would help them respond to COVID-19.

“This equipment allows us to not have to touch a patient quite as much and makes it less likely we have a COVID exposure,” Reese said.

The CARES federal funds were being allocated at a state level, where fire districts could apply for a set amount, which would be calculated on a per capita served basis.

In order for funding to be approved, the expenses had to be related to COVID response, safety, or continued training/preparedness.

The district was able to cover the cost of the device with the Cares Act funding.

“Which means this monumental EMS upgrade, did not directly come from our tax dollars,” Reese said. “This is equipment we hope we never need, but we are very lucky to have it.”

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