NAMPA, Idaho — After Nampa Fire District EMS Chief Tom Wright survived a heart attack last fall, the department announced it is launching two new programs to improve community access to AEDs.
Wright experienced symptoms like chest pain radiating down his arm and nausea while in his hotel room during a chief’s conference in McCall in September, KTVB reported.
“Just thought it was stress,” Wright said. “I was like, I have to be down with my guys at the conference. So, I went down to the conference. When I got there, one of our chiefs actually asked me, ‘are you having a heart attack?’ That’s when I suddenly realized, on my part, that I was.”
The hotel lacked an automated external defibrillator (AED), but fortunately, JD Hendrick, the Meridian Fire EMS chief, had one and successfully restarted Wright’s heart.
While recovering in the hospital, Wright was visited by retired chief Jeff Mutchie, who now works on special projects. Their conversation that day inspired two new community initiatives set to launch in February.
The first initiative is an AED loaner program, funded by grants and community donations, allowing residents to borrow devices for events and gatherings. The district will also offer monthly CPR classes, teaching participants how to use an AED. Additionally, they plan to equip all staff vehicles with AEDs and raise funds to place devices in every Nampa police car.
“To get at least 90% of our citizens trained in CPR,” Wright said, “that’s our eventual goal. It’s pretty lofty, but I think we can do it. It can really affect a lot of people’s lives.”
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