Fire Department demonstrates advanced CPR technology to city council
The Bloomington Fire Department showed city council members how it uses an automated device called a LUCAS machine to perform continuous, high-quality CPR during cardiac emergencies. The demonstration highlighted the department's advanced medical capabilities and coordinated response approach to saving lives.
Firefighter Purcell, Firefighter Max, and Captain Rodney presented the Bloomington Fire Department's emergency medical services capabilities at Wednesday's city council meeting, focusing on how they respond when someone goes into cardiac arrest. The centerpiece of their presentation was the LUCAS device, an automated machine that delivers consistent chest compressions — a critical component of CPR — without tiring, which human rescuers inevitably do.
The firefighters explained that the LUCAS device ensures patients receive uninterrupted, high-quality CPR at the correct depth and rate during transport to the hospital. This matters because survival rates from cardiac arrest drop significantly with every minute that passes without proper CPR. By automating compressions, the device helps maintain the best possible chance of survival.
Beyond the technology itself, the department showcased what they call their "pit crew model" — a coordinated team approach to patient care that mirrors how a racing pit crew works together with precision and clear roles. Each firefighter and paramedic has specific responsibilities during a cardiac emergency, allowing them to work efficiently and effectively as a unit.
The presentation underscored that the Bloomington Fire Department does far more than fight fires. Modern fire departments across the country respond to far more medical emergencies than actual fires, and Bloomington's department has invested in training and equipment to handle these critical situations. The demonstration gave council members and the public a behind-the-scenes look at the advanced medical interventions available to residents in life-threatening situations.
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Source document
[0:00] - Hello, I'm Firefighter Purcell
[0:02] with the Bloomington Fire Department.
[0:03] I've got Firefighter Max with me today,
[0:05] as well as Captain Rodney.
[0:07] And we're here to show you
that we do more than just fire.
[0:10] We do EMS as well here
at Bloomington Fire.
[0:12] (bright lively music)
[0:26] Today we're gonna go over our equipment
[0:27] for a cardiac arrest scenario.
[0:29] We've got a Lucas device,
[0:30] and we're gonna show you
how we utilize that today
[0:32] to help better serve our community.
[0:34] We've come upon a cardiac arrest victim,
[0:36] so they do not have a pulse,
[0:37] and they're not breathing.
[0:38] Max is gonna start CPR.
[0:40] We work in what they
call a pit crew model.
[0:42] So we've got one person focused on CPR.
[0:45] That's the most important
step in a cardiac arrest
[0:48] as long as somebody continues to provide
[0:52] good high quality CPR,
[0:54] that's what they need in this moment.
[0:56] And what Captain Rodney's doing right now,
[0:59] is he's applying the monitor pads,
[1:03] which could be very
similar to like an AED,
[1:05] but we've got the more advanced version
[1:07] that allows us to analyze ourselves,
[1:10] and get the patient more rapid
[1:11] intervention and rapid treatment.
[1:12] So as Max continues CPR,
[1:15] I've got my Lucas device here,
[1:17] and this is our auto CPR device.
[1:19] This provides high quality CPR,
[1:22] and it allows Max to not have to do CPR
[1:25] for more than two to four
minutes or continuously.
[1:28] First step, we turn it on,
[1:30] and this goes over the patient.
[1:31] And it's got a plunger here
[1:34] that would normally just take over
[1:36] where his hands are placed.
[1:37] And this pushes up and down on the chest.
[1:40] We've got a back plate.
[1:42] This goes under.
[1:42] Just make sure that if they're on carpet
[1:44] or anything like that,
[1:45] that they get good compressions
[1:47] and they've got a hard
surface to compress against.
[1:49] Keeping compressions going,
[1:50] we place it underneath the head.
[1:52] We try to minimize our interruptions.
[1:56] And so we work through it together.
[1:58] So a person leading at
the head, so we say,
[2:00] "Max, I'm gonna go ahead,
[2:02] and we're gonna move this
underneath the patient."
[2:04] All right, one, two, three.
[2:06] All right, continue CPR.
[2:08] And so what he's gonna
do is get that hooked up.
[2:11] There we go. So minimal interruptions.
[2:13] And now this takes over.
[2:15] And this allows us to
utilize our medications
[2:17] as well as our monitor to continue to
[2:20] provide good quality CPR to our patients.
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