New pg 5 10-29-20
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WOODSTOCK — Patients experiencing cardiac arrest now have greater chances of advanced resuscitation and survival thanks to new lifesaving equipment recently purchased for all three Woodstock fire stations.
The Woodstock Fire Protection Association and the Woodstock Emergency Medical Service have acquired four LUCAS mechanical chest compression systems for Bungay Fire Brigade, Muddy Brook Fire Department and Woodstock EMS/Woodstock Volunteer Fire Association. The units are onboard both EMS ambulances housed at WVFA and the rescue vehicles stationed at Bungay and Muddy Brook.
LUCAS devices help improve CPR quality for patients and first responders alike, both at the scene of illnesses and accidents and during transports to medical facilities. The devices increase the efficiency of caregiving teams, calming the scene and providing an extra pair of hands so emergency responders can focus on the patient.
Woodstock obtained its first LUCAS device in 2017 thanks to a grant from the Firefighters Support Foundation written by fire marshal Richard Baron on behalf of Muddy Brook Fire Department. That unit has been shared ever since by Woodstock’s EMS ambulances and the Bungay and Muddy Brook rescue trucks and, via Mutual Aid, with Thompson, K-B Ambulance, and the Day Kimball Hospital Emergency Department.
“We knew first-hand how these units help extend the reach of care for patients who don’t respond to manual CPR and defibrillation alone,” said Chief Eric Young of WVFA. “Having a LUCAS unit onboard also helps keep our teams safe during patient transport, particularly allowing them to remain belted inside a moving ambulance while delivering high-quality chest compression,” Young said. “And they enhance team efficiency by calming chaotic scenes and enabling caregivers to focus their skills and judgment where they matter most—on the patient.”
The LUCAS Chest Compression System is manufactured by Stryker Emergency Care in Portage, Michigan. Currently there are 25,000+ LUCAS units in service worldwide. Stryker has documented that LUCAS units help produce a 60 percent increase in blood flow to a patient’s brain compared to manual CPR. “Based on a patient’s size and weight, a LUCAS unit computes the proper chest compression depth and resistance, and delivers perfect compressions to a patient every time, even while rescuers may be moving a patient on a stretcher,” said Chief Seth Spalding of Muddy Brook F.D.
The town of Woodstock covers 62 square miles (second-largest town in Connecticut). Having LUCAS devices onboard the ambulances and rescue vehicles greatly enhances patient care over long rides to the closest hospital. Before putting the new equipment into service, Woodstock EMS hosted a training session for members of Bungay, Muddy Brook and WVFA.
The new units were purchased by the Woodstock Fire Protection Association with funds from the EMS and Rescue Equipment line item of the Capital and Non-Recurring Expenses five-year budget plan in the Town of Woodstock’s 2020-21 budget at a total cost of $69,000.
“All of us at Bungay, Muddy Brook, WVFA, and Woodstock EMS express our thanks to the Woodstock taxpayers, the Board of Selectmen, and the Board of Finance for their support in funding these marvelous and helpful additions to the services we can now offer to our town,” said Bungay Fire Brigade Chief Roy Chandler.
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