Mountain View County and the Town of Olds have partnered to purchase an automated cardiopulmonary resuscitation device for Olds Fire Department.
The municipalities bought a device that provides effective continuous cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) without taking up manpower during cardiac arrests that happen outside hospital.
The town said conducting CPR on a patient for prolonged periods of time is physically demanding on many responders.
“It has been clearly documented that someone doing CPR begins to lose effect due to fatigue within minutes of starting, and requires change out frequently. This device does not get tired, slow down, or compress less effectively as time goes on,” said Olds fire chief Justin Andrew.
EMS are not required to carry the device, but the fire department is automatically dispatched to assist at cardiac arrest calls within its jurisdiction, so the device will be available to the EMS unit that responds.
The automated CPR device costs about $15,000 and is designed for rugged use. It can operate off a single battery charge for about 40 minutes.
All fire department members will be trained on the device.