The Norwood Park-Harwood Heights News has an article about a grant for the fire department:
Two new defibrillators will bring cutting-edge technology to the Norwood Park Fire Department and the residents of Norridge, Harwood Heights and unincorporated Norwood Township thanks to a $30,000 grant from the Norwood Park Township.
The department had planned to order one of the new devices this year and another next year, but was able to step up that timetable thanks to the township, Chief Kevin Stenson said. The monitor-defibrillators have wireless transmission capabilities and are half the size and half the weight of those currently used “but a lot more powerful, thanks to its advanced capabilities,” Stenson added. “Once a person is in cardiac arrest, it’s a matter of life and death.”
The new devices will allow the department to assess patient needs more quickly and then wirelessly transmit critical information to a receiving hospital so clinicians are prepared when the ambulance arrives, he said.
Those manning the 10-pound machines, which are built to military standards, now may set different parameters for such criteria as age and gender.
Firefighter Rick Ford said the new equipment is similar to what the department now uses. “These have a lot more features, and more accuracy with blood pressure and other vital signs,” he said. “These will make patient care even better.
Stenson said the new units not only will help the department save lives, but also make the lives of the first responders a great deal easier by having so many life-saving capabilities in one unit. “With this upgraded technology, we believe we are better equipped to protect the lives of our citizens whom we are honored to serve,” he said.
thanks Dan
