Kyarra Harris
Monterey Daily Herald
(TNS)

MONTEREY – New equipment for the Monterey Fire Department will upgrade the department’s level of care, while providing enhancements to pre-hospital treatment.

Monterey Fire received a $100,000 grant from Montage Health that paid for two heart monitors and three CPR devices. This additional equipment will increase the department’s level of care from Basic Life Support to Advanced Life Support services according to the city in a press release.

“At the Monterey Fire Department, we strive to continually improve care through training and technology,” Monterey Fire Chief Andrew Miller said in the statement. “The expansion of (Advnaced Life Support) service, along with the implementation of the additional CPR devices, makes a significant positive impact to the residents and visitors we serve, and we thank Montage Health for making this possible with their generous donation.”

The Monterey Fire Department has been making a push to get new and upgraded equipment following a change in leadership.

The LifePak 15 Heart Monitors are the most expensive pieces of equipment and will allow firefighters to provide advanced life support while on the fire engine. In addition to basic diagnostic capabilities like monitoring blood pressure, oxygen, and the heart rate, the monitors can do basic and advanced cardiac monitoring.

The department already has one Lucas CPR device for Engine 15 in Carmel. The three new devices will be placed on Medic Engine 11, Medic Engine 12 and Medic Engine 13 in Monterey.

“Montage Health is grateful to enhance community health and safety through our partnership with the Monterey Fire Department,” Montage Health President and CEO Steven Packer said. “These devices provide a significant advancement in pre-hospital treatment, giving cardiac patients a better chance of survival. We are proud to support the firefighters and paramedics who serve our community every day.”

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LifePak 15 Heart Monitors at a Glance

• Heart monitors are the most critical and yet expensive piece of equipment to be able to provide paramedic-level ALS care on a fire engine.
• Prior to receiving the two new monitors, this service was provided on Medic Engines 11, 12, and 13 in Monterey. These two new monitors allow us to expand that service to Truck 11 in Monterey and Engine 14 in Pacific Grove in the near future.
• In addition to basic diagnostic capabilities, such as monitoring blood pressure, oxygen saturation level and heart rate, the monitors can do basic and advanced cardiac monitoring.
• With the ability to provide 12-lead cardiac monitoring to patients in the field, paramedics can interpret the rhythm to determine if a cardiac event is occurring, such as a heart attack. If a critical event such as a heart attack is noted in the field, the paramedic can use the monitor to transmit that rhythm directly to the hospital where a cardiac team will be standing by to receive the patient as soon as they arrive.

LUCAS CPR Devices at a Glance

• Currently, MFD has one device already in service in Carmel-By-The-Sea on Engine 15.
• The three new devices will be placed on Medic Engine 11, Medic Engine 12, and Medic Engine 13 in Monterey, effectively providing coverage for all areas Monterey Fire Department services.
• The device itself provides high quality, mechanical CPR for victims of cardiac arrest, improving chances of survival by up to 47% versus manual CPR.
• Monterey Fire Department treats around 60 cardiac arrest victims each year.