New Equipment Assists Fire Department with Cardiac Emergencies

Posted Thursday, August 11, 2005

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In an effort to allow for enhanced response to cardiac emergencies, new equipment was recently added to the Forsyth County Fire Department. Thirty-five automated external defibrillators (AEDs) and two cardiac monitors, approved for purchase by the Forsyth County Board of Commissioners on May 9, arrived in late May and are already in place for use.

The thirty-five AEDs, purchased from Cardiac Science for $55,965, are third-generation models replacing the over twenty first-generation models the department was previously utilizing. Additionally, two more AEDs and two alarm boxes were purchased through a refund received from returning the first-generation models, saving taxpayers over $4,000. Just as the name implies, AEDs are automated and provide users with a recorded message walking them through the use process. The unit reads the patient’s heart rhythm and then delivers the appropriate charge.

AEDs are now located on every Forsyth County fire engine, ladder truck, rescue truck and in many department staff vehicles. The two additional AEDs and alarm boxes have been installed in the County Administration Building, one in the lobby of each floor.

AEDs have been utilized 87 times since January 1, 2001. The Fire Department averages four lives saved every year due directly to the use and availability of the AEDs on fire apparatuses.

The more AEDs and cardiac monitors that are in service throughout the county, the greater chance we have of saving someone in need, said Captain Rick Hamilton, Forsyth County Fire Department EMS coordinator.

Two cardiac monitors, purchased from Medtronic Emergency for $45,272.90, were added to the four already in place. Cardiac monitors show heart rhythm and also measure the amount of oxygen to the cells as well as read patients' blood pressure. Unlike the AED units, these must be operated by a trained professional. Three of the county's six cardiac monitors are on Advanced Life Support (ALS) Engines 4, 8 and 10. Each ALS Engine is staffed with at least two firefighters, one of whom must be certified as a paramedic. Two monitors are in staff vehicles and the remaining monitor will serve both as a training tool and a spare.

Since the inception of the ALS engine companies in October 2004, Forsyth County Fire Department paramedics have already made the difference between life and death for three citizens. Utilizing their paramedic-level cardiac and airway equipment, fire personnel intervened with life-threatening injuries on three separate occasions, offering critical pre-hospital care prior to the arrival of transport-capable ambulances.

As an anticipatory move by Fire Department personnel, the seven recently delivered fire engines were designed with Basic Life Support/Advanced Life Support response capabilities. The engines have a compartment specifically designated for medical equipment storage. Within this compartment is a self-contained refrigeration and heating unit which keeps life-saving drugs and fluids at their optimum temperature. These drugs and fluids work in concert with the use of the AEDs or cardiac monitors to implement life-saving steps in times of critical need.

The ALS fire engines, in conjunction with highly trained personnel and state-of-the-art equipment, allow the Forsyth County Fire Department to respond with the most effective field medical capabilities available today.

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