FAIRFAX, Va. — At Fire-Rescue Med, the IAFC’s EMS Section honored two fire departments with the annual Heart Safe Community Award. The award recognizes organizations with creative approaches to implementing and maintaining systems to prevent and treat cardiac-related diseases within their communities.
Albuquerque Fire Department was awarded top honors in the large-community category (population of 100,000+) and Midway (S.C.) Fire-Rescue Department took home first place in the small/midsized-community category (population under 100,000).
The Heart Safe Community Award, sponsored by Physio-Control, examines communities holistically and how they’ve integrated their systems to work symbiotically. Agencies must demonstrate improved quality of out-of-hospital resuscitation through bystander CPR, AED deployment (PAD programs), out-of-hospital 12-lead ECGs, 12-lead ECG advanced notification to the receiving hospital or other quality resuscitation improvements.
“The Heart Safe Community awards recognize the Albuquerque Fire Department and the Midway Fire-Rescue Department for their dedication and work to promote a better and safer community,” said Chief David Becker, chair of the IAFC EMS Section. “They demonstrate and serve as role models for other communities to follow in protecting their citizens through their programs.”
A team approach in Midway, S.C.
Midway Fire-Rescue has implemented a variety of programs to improve the EMS it provides to its diverse community of tourists, year-round residents and seasonal residents. Together, these programs represent Midway’s efforts to better educate the public and Midway Fire-Rescue personnel. Midway’s public outreach efforts have allowed the agency to reach nearly 5,000 individuals, or 25% of the population, as well as expand the emergency medical training offered to all Midway FireRescue personnel.
Midway also completed an aggressive push to update its equipment, including the purchase of new LifePak monitors, to improve communications with the community’s hospital and decrease door-toballoon time for STEMI patients. Midway’s efforts have succeeded in improving survivability rates of patients throughout the community.
Albuquerque: Survival rates on the rise
The Albuquerque Fire Department also implemented various programs to expand and improve the level of EMS care provided to its community. In the spring of 2014, Albuquerque significantly expanded and updated its equipment to reduce firstmedical-contact-to-cath-lab time. The department further improved its cardiac-arrest responses by utilizing software to analyze and improve the quality of CPR provided to patients. Lastly, Albuquerque used public outreach and public-service announcements to educate people on the importance of hands-only CPR. Albuquerque combined these lessons with the use of the PulsePoint mobile phone application, which alerts bystanders of ongoing cardiac arrests and shows the location of nearby AEDs.
Together, these initiatives have improved survival rates of Albuquerque’s STEMI patients.
About the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC)
The IAFC represents the leadership of firefighters and emergency responders worldwide. IAFC members are the world’s leading experts in firefighting, emergency medical services, terrorism response, hazardous materials spills, natural disasters, search and rescue, and public safety legislation. Since 1873, the IAFC has provided a forum for its members to exchange ideas, develop professionally and uncover the latest products and services available to first responders. Learn more