The Southwest Polk Fire District has recently updated one of the most essential pieces of life-saving medical equipment, the Lucas 3 Device.
According to the American Heart Association, the odds of surviving a cardiac arrest event decreases by about 10% for every minute that CPR is delayed. Therefore, during a cardiac arrest event, there are two major factors that have a significant impact on patient outcome. The first factor is how quickly the response time is to the scene, and the second is the quality of CPR provided during resuscitation efforts.
SW Polk Fire’s Advanced Life Support providers at the Paramedic Level, bring a combined total of over 30 years of experience. However, even with this experience, as any rescuer can attest, providing high quality chest compressions can be an exhausting and difficult task to sustain.
The portable Lucas 3 chest compression device allows rescuers to provide continuous, tireless, and guideline-consistent chest compressions. This device not only ensures higher quality CPR, but it also allows on-scene personnel to be more efficient in reaching the additional needs of the patient, such as airway access and the administration of medicine.
SW Polk Fire District continuously aims to decrease response times and improve the quality of care to its citizens. The Lucas 3 Device is among a long list of life saving equipment that the Fire District is grateful to have.
This lifesaving medical equipment was purchased by the generous grant from the Roundhouse Foundation in partnership with the Oregon Office of Rural Health.
