Gold Medal Awarded To Westlake Fire For Heart Attack Response

WESTLAKE, OH — The Westlake Fire Department has again received the American Heart Association's Mission: Lifeline EMS Gold Award. The award is given to departments that implement quality improvement measures for the treatment of patients who have severe heart attacks. Westlake first received the award in 2016.

“The City of Westlake is committed to making continual improvements in the delivery of service to our residents and visitors,” said Mayor Dennis Clough in a statement. “We are proud of the leadership and members of the Fire Department for following the latest research-based standards for severe heart attacks which helps save lives. We also join in congratulating them as they are recognized nationally by the Mission: Lifeline program for their dedication and achievements in emergency medical care for all cardiac patients.”

Heart attacks are incredibly common in the U.S. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that an American suffers a heart attack every 43 seconds. Roughly 735,000 Americans have a heart attack every year. Mission: Lifeline seeks to close the gap that separate patients from timely heart attack treatment. Plus, one out of every five heart attacks are "silent," meaning they cause damage to an individual without that person knowing they had a heart attack.

EMS agencies qualifying for the gold award must follow protocols derived from the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology guidelines. The logic behind the practices being that the correct tools, training, and practices allow EMS providers to rapidly identify suspected heart attack patients, notify medical centers, and trigger an early response from awaiting hospital personnel.

Agencies that receive the Mission: Lifeline Gold award have demonstrated at least 75 percent compliance for each required achievement measure for two years.

“EMTs and paramedics play a vital part in the system of care for those who have heart attacks,” said Dr. James Jollis, chair of the Mission: Lifeline Advisory Working Group in a statement. “Since they often are the first medical point of contact, they can shave precious minutes of life-saving treatment time by activating the emergency response system that alerts hospitals. We applaud the Westlake Fire Department for achieving this award that shows it meets evidence-based guidelines in the treatment of people who have severe heart attacks.”

Photo from City of Westlake