CONCORD, CALIF. – Contra Costa County Fire Protection District (Con Fire) today announced deployment of 30 new LUCAS Chest Compression Systems designed to provide consistent, high quality and uninterrupted chest compressions to cardiac event victims at incident scenes and while being transported to hospitals.
These devices are part of a Con Fire initiative to improve survivability of cardiac events across the County and are expected to improve patient outcomes by automatically delivering handsfree chest compressions, freeing first responders to perform other critical advanced life support tasks during these incidents. An additional anticipated benefit is the potential for reduction in injuries to first responders while administering CPR.
“Con Fire is committed to driving up survivability for cardiac event victims across our District and deployment of these LUCAS Devices is an important component of our overall initiative,” said Lewis T. Broschard III, fire chief, Contra Costa County Fire Protection District. “Armed with these new automated devices, our first responders will be able to deliver consistent, high-quality CPR while simultaneously performing other critical patient care tasks.”
“LUCAS devices at every incident contribute to Con Fire’s commitment to improving cardiac event survivability across our District,” said Terence Carey, assistant chief, EMS, Contra Costa County Fire Protection District. “The devices combine with recent training and implementation of CPR Highly Defined for all first responders, continual emphasis on improving response times with our ambulance transport program, and our Alliance initiative to teach 10,000 area high school students Hands-Only CPR, to continue improvement of cardiac event outcomes.”
The LUCAS Devices are a benefit of the District’s ambulance transport Alliance, a unique public-private system of dispatchers, firefighter paramedics, emergency medical service providers and ambulance transport that strives to get to patients with potentially life threatening illnesses and injuries faster and transport them to hospital more quickly, affording them the best possible chance for a positive outcome.
Total contract amount for the 30 LUCAS devices, including a spare unit and other accessories, was just over $600,000. The District already owned five additional devices, which will continue to be used in some operational settings as well as for training.
The LUCAS 3 is a portable, easy-to-use device that delivers automated, medical guidelines compliant chest compressions to improve blood flow in victims of cardiac arrest. The LUCAS device is lightweight, comes in a backpack and can be applied quickly to a patient, interrupting manual compressions for less than 20 seconds. It’s simple to apply whether the patient is on the ground, on a bed, or on a stretcher in the ambulance.
About Contra Costa County Fire Protection District (Con Fire) — A recognized fire service leader — Con Fire provides fire and emergency medical services to more than a million people across its 304 square-mile District area, and through mutual aid, in and around the 20 cities and unincorporated communities of Contra Costa County, California. With few exceptions, county emergency ambulance transport services are provided by Con Fire through its unique subcontractor Alliance model. In 2018, the District responded to nearly 75,000 fire and EMS emergencies and dispatched some 95,000 ambulances, providing expert medical care on more than 74,000 ambulance transports. The District, with 26 fire stations and more than 400 employees, is dedicated to preserving life, property and the environment.
2 comments
Does con fire have any automated machines to send to falls with head injuries? Since they aren’t going to them.
Known as “Geezer squeezers” by the younger emergency responders.
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