DALLAS TWP. — Area residents’ love of malted suds funded a new life-saving device for the Back Mountain Regional Fire & EMS.
A new CPR device called LUCAS 3 Compression System was purchased by the Back Mountain Regional Fire & EMS with money raised from the Back Mountain Brew Fest held in October, said Bobby Skasko, ambulance chief at the Back Mountain Regional Fire & EMS.
“The Brew Fest raised over $20,000,” Skasko said. “LUCAS 3 cost about $18,500. We added in some grant fund to purchase it.”
The agency is the third in the county to acquire the device.
“Kingston (Borough) and Pittston City have one,” Skasko said. “We talked about getting one for a number of years.”
LUCAS 3 was unveiled during a training session for Back Mountain Regional Fire & EMS members Thursday at the station on East Center Hill Road in Dallas Township.
The benefits of the compact machine are numerous and include the ability to sustain steady CPR compression for an extended amount of time, said Chris Good, EMS Chief at the Back Mountain Regional Fire & EMS.
“It (LUCAS 3) offers consistent depth of compression and eliminates errors caused by conductor fatigue,” Good said.
Effective CPR requires the conductor to place one hand on top of the other in the middle of a patient’s chest and push down at least 2 inches, but not more than 2.4 inches, 100 to 120 times a minute, according to the Mayo Clinic’s website.
“Under the new protocols, we are required to administer CPR up to 20 minutes while checking for a patient’s response,” Good said.
A first responder’s physical strength and stamina can start to give out after about five minutes, Good said.
The portable LUCAS 3 provides steady and consistent CPR compressions in two-minute intervals to patients up to 30 to 40 minutes, Jack Lasky, EMS coordinator at Geisinger Wyoming Valley in Plains Township said at the training session.
LUCAS 3 can also be secured to the patient and offer uninterrupted CPR as the patient is pltaced in the ambulance and trfansported to the hospital, Good said.
The device consists of a backboard that slides under a patient’s back and a u-shaped device that snaps into place over the top of their chest. EMS personnel start a computerized cushioned plunger that begins CPR compressions.
Compressions stop every two minutes to give medical responders an opportunity to check the patient’s pulse and breathing, Lasky said.
The cordless device can be plugged into the ambulance’s inverter, if necessary, Lasky said.
“A charge can last 30 to 45 minutes,” Lasky said. “It charges in a half hour.”
“It comes with one battery,” he said. “It would be good to buy a second battery.”
Good watched staff practice, using the LUCAS 3 and noticed how the machine would free up personnel to do other life-saving duties such as prepare medication.
Fourteen members of the Back Mountain Regional Fire & EMS attended the training session and, in teams of two, practiced placing the compression machine on a mannequin and turning it on. Lasky oversaw the process and corrected any technical errors.
“We will be practicing a lot,” Good said.
Since the agency only has one LUCAS 3, it will be kept in a designated spot in the Back Mountain Fire & EMS building, Good said.
“We will make it accessible for everyone (EMS staff) to use,” Good said, referencing the two available ambulances. “Staff will leave the device if the ‘call’ does not require it.”
