REED CITY — The Reed City Firefighter Foundation is getting closer to reaching its next goal, purchasing a Lucas II automated CPR machine for the fire department.
Created in 2015, the foundation organizes and manages fundraising events to purchase items needed for the betterment of the department, said Trevor Kinsey, foundation president.
“We formed the organization to help give back to the community through fundraising to purchase life-saving equipment,” he said. “The foundation allows the membership to look into the future to see what the next innovation is going to be in our field and put a plan in place to obtain it. This should allow the Reed City Fire Department to have some of the newer technology in the area long before it may become commonplace.”
According to the Lucas website, the chest compression system assists first responders and paramedics by providing effective and uninterrupted chest compressions on sudden cardiac arrest patients.
The Lucas device will relieve strain on the department when there are calls that require CPR to be performed, Kinsey said.
“Currently, when a ‘CPR in progress’ call comes in, most of the available personnel will respond to the scene to help out,” he explained. “Manual CPR requires a lot of physical exertion so a rotation of personnel is used.
“This machine won’t get tired and will perform perfect compressions every time, increasing the effectiveness of each compression. This also frees other personnel to perform other tasks or even take other calls since less personnel may be needed on scene.”
Kinsey said the device allows continued CPR compressions during transport or in confined spaces that are challenging for personnel.
“When taking a patient out of a house or apartment on a stretcher, down a hallway or stairs, it can be hard to have somebody doing compressions the whole time because space is so limited,” he said. “This machine can ride on them and continue to perform compressions. It can even be used on AeroMed helicopters.”
Regular fundraisers by the foundation have included raffles, a flamingo fundraiser, bed race during the Great American Crossroads Festival and a pancake breakfast.
“Being a separate organization than the city, the foundation is a 501(c)3 nonprofit and raises funds and purchases equipment to donate to the city, or specifically, the fire department,” Kinsey said.
Currently the Reed City Fire Department has 18 total personnel who serve as firefighters, with 12 of those holding medical licenses at the Medical First Responder (MFR), EMT or Paramedic level. The department is licensed at the MFR level.
The foundation currently has 13 members, all of whom are current or former members of the department, although it is not a requirement for membership, Kinsey said.
For more information about the firefighter foundation visit reedcityfire.org/community-info/rcff/ or its Facebook page at facebook.com/reedcityfirefighterfoundation/.
