Calif. fire department gets new CPR equipment

By Brian Day
Pasadena Star-News

PASADENA, Calif. — Pasadena fire officials received a grant to purchase new life-saving equipment Wednesday, and officials also announced a new program to encourage residents to store medical information in their refrigerators.

A $25,000 grant received Wednesday enabled the department to buy two units of a new type of CPR machine, Pasadena Fire Department Chief Dennis Downs said.

"The Pasadena Fire Department tries to be on the cutting edge of new technologies and tries to find the best way to treat the residents and visitors to our city," Downs said.

The new CPR machines deliver consistent chest pumps to patients during CPR, officials said, freeing up rescuers to focus on other aspects of medical care.

The air-pressure powered devices, which weigh about 18 pounds, can be used while a patient is being moved, officials said. They draw power from the same oxygen tanks firefighters use for breathing.

The machines have received approval from the American Heart Association, which has deemed them effective. Pasadena firefighters are among the first in Los Angeles County to get the devices, officials said.

The machines were purchased last month, thanks to a $25,000 grant the department officially received Wednesday from the Fireman's Insurance Fund and the DeWitt Stern Group, officials said.

"Our goal is to have all five of our ambulances equipped with them," Downs said, adding that the department has almost reached its fund-raising goal to purchase a third device.

Pasadena paramedics have already used the device at least once in the field, with great success.

"It performed beyond their expectations," Downs said.

"Fire equipment and gear can be very expensive," DeWitt Stern spokeswoman Maureen O'Brien said in a written statement. "So we're proud to help these departments receive some much-needed tools to better enable them to respond to emergencies."

The Pasadena Fire Department also announced plans Wednesday to participate in the "Vial of Life" program. Starting Friday the program will distribute medical information cards and vials to residents. The vials can be stored on the top shelf of refrigerators, where rescuers can find them in case of a fire or other emergency.

The contents of refrigerators are often spared in fires, officials said. A refrigerator magnet alerts officials that there is a Vial of Life inside.

"This simple program can result in a life-saving experience if used under the right medical circumstances," Downs said.

Senior citizens are especially encouraged to take part in the program, but it's a good idea for everybody, officials said.

Officials are now trained to look for the vials when responding to an emergency, Pasadena Fire Department spokeswoman Lisa Derderian said in a written statement.

"When fire personnel are dispatched to a residence, they know to go to the refrigerator to retrieve important medical information," Derderian said.

The program has been around nationwide for decades, Downs said, but Pasadena firefighters decided to bring new attention to it when they began to notice fewer and fewer people participating.

Information that can be listed on the medical information sheet includes medical history, medications being taken, allergies, Physician's Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment, advanced health care directives, primary care physician information and insurance information.

Vials of Life can be picked up at any Pasadena fire station starting Friday, officials said.

The kits were purchased by the Fire Department, Downs said.

"The benefit far outweighs the minimal cost," he said.

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