Con Fire Adds 30 New Hands-Free CPR Devices

CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CA— Contra Costa County Fire Protection District announced the deployment last week of 30 new portable, easy-to-use devices that improve blood flow to victims suffering cardiac arrest. The new hands-free LUCAS 3 Chest Compression Systems have been installed on vehicles district-wide so they are available at every incident and every time cardiac patients are being taken by ambulance to a hospital, Con Fire officials said.

An additional anticipated benefit of the devices said to provide consistent, high quality and uninterrupted chest compressions is the potential for reduction in injuries to first responders while administering CPR, Con Fire officials said in a news release announcing the new equipment.

The addition of the lightweight LUCAS 3, which comes in a backpack and can be applied quickly to a patient whether the person is on the ground, on a bed or on a stretcher, is part of a Con Fire initiative to improve survivability of cardiac events across the county.

With few exceptions, county emergency ambulance transport services are provided by Con Fire through its unique subcontractor Alliance model. In 2018, Con Fire responded to nearly 75,000 fire and EMS emergencies and dispatched some 95,000 ambulances, providing medical care on more than 74,000 ambulance transports.

The new devices are expected to improve patient outcomes because once applied, they automatically deliver hands-free, consistent and uninterrupted chest compressions, in turn freeing up first responders to perform other critical advanced life support tasks, Con Fire officials said in the release.

"Con Fire is committed to driving up survivability for cardiac event victims across our District and deployment of these LUCAS Devices is an important component of our overall initiative," Con Fire Chief Lewis Broschard said. "Armed with these new automated devices, our first responders will be able to deliver consistent, high-quality CPR while simultaneously performing other critical patient care tasks."

Total contract amount for the 30 new devices, including a spare unit and other accessories, was just over $600,000, according to Con Fire Spokesman Steve Hill. The district already owned five additional devices, which will continue to be used in some operational settings as well as for training, Hill said.

"The devices combine with recent training and implementation of CPR Highly Defined for all first responders, continual emphasis on improving response times with our ambulance transport program, and our Alliance initiative to teach 10,000 area high school students Hands-Only CPR, to continue improvement of cardiac event outcomes," Assistant EMS Chief Terence Carey said.