The State Journal-Register (Springfield, IL)
Copyright 2006 The State Journal-Register
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Twenty new defibrillators for the Springfield Fire Department will allow paramedics to save more lives and increase the level of care they provide to citizens, officials announced Tuesday.
All of the fire department’s vehicles are now equipped with the new defibrillators, which replaced 10-year-old models that are outdated and have fewer capabilities.
The new devices not only provide an electric shock to cardiac patients, they also can monitor pulse rates and blood pressure.
One extra defibrillator will be kept at St. John’s Hospital as a spare. Technicians at the hospital will maintain the new units, cutting down on time lost to shipping and repairs.
The new defibrillators cost about $9,000 each. Eighty percent of the cost was covered by an “Assistance to Firefighters” grant through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Division chief Kevin Switzer said the department’s paramedics use at least one of the defibrillators every day. Springfield’s paramedics are rated “Basic Life Support.” The new defibrillators will move the department closer to obtaining ILS, Intermediate Life Support, status, officials said.