Bloomington Fire Demonstrates Medical Equipment Capabilities
Firefighter paramedic Alec Purcell from Bloomington Fire Department provided an educational demonstration of the department's medical equipment capabilities during a recent presentation, highlighting the agency's role in emergency medical services beyond traditional firefighting duties.
Purcell showcased the contents of the department's medical bag, which contains specialized equipment organized by medical function. The red compartment houses cardiac medications and allergy treatment supplies, while a green section contains airway management tools used to maintain patient breathing during emergencies.
The demonstration included pediatric-specific equipment designed for treating children and infants. "Smaller people, smaller lungs. We don't want to give them too much air," Purcell explained while displaying a pediatric bag valve mask. The medical kit also features a dedicated trauma section containing supplies for treating injuries from falls, sprains and bleeding incidents.
Oxygen equipment represents one of the most frequently used medical interventions, according to Purcell, who noted that oxygen qualifies as a medication in emergency medical protocols. The comprehensive medical bag enables firefighter paramedics to address various emergency scenarios in the community.
Bloomington Fire Department personnel conduct daily equipment checks to verify supplies remain current and functional. The department maintains training requirements to ensure all firefighter paramedics stay familiar with each piece of medical equipment in their response arsenal.
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- Bloomington Fire seeks to clarify its expanded role in emergency medical services beyond traditional firefighting.
- Rigorous daily inspection protocols for EMS equipment at Bloomington Fire ensure community safety and compliance.
- Public awareness campaign highlights the diversity of medical tools required for modern paramedic operations.
We're here to show you today that we don't just do fire, we do EMS as well.
Believe it or not, oxygen is a medication.
These are checked every morning and we verify that nothing's expired.
Source document
[0:00] My name is Alec Purcell. I'm a
[0:01] firefighter paramedic here at
[0:02] Bloomington Fire. And we're here to show
[0:04] you today that we don't just do fire, we
[0:06] do EMS as well. This is our first in or
[0:08] our medical bag. And we have all kinds
[0:10] of various equipment in this bag. We pop
[0:12] it open here.
[0:14] We've got medications in this red bag
[0:15] right here. In this pouch right here,
[0:17] we've got all sorts of medications for
[0:19] different cardiac conditions. We've got
[0:21] some for allergic reactions. And then in
[0:23] our green bag, we've got airway
[0:26] supplies. These go in the mouth and
[0:28] allow us to open up the airways.
[0:29] probably seen this on TV. It allows us
[0:31] to hook up to those airways right here.
[0:32] Give it a squeeze and air comes out of
[0:34] there. Oxygen tank. This is one of our
[0:36] most used medications. Believe it or
[0:38] not, oxygen is a medication. In this
[0:40] compartment right here, we've got our
[0:42] pediatric section. So, in the same bag,
[0:44] we've got a BDM bag valve mask for
[0:47] pediatric patients. A little smaller,
[0:49] smaller people, smaller lungs. We don't
[0:51] want to give them too much air. This is
[0:52] a label. That's our trauma section. So
[0:54] this is for bumps, bruises, falls,
[0:57] sprains, any sort of bleeding that we're
[0:59] going to look to control. So as you saw
[1:00] with our medical bag, there's lots of
[1:02] bits and pieces, lots of tools and
[1:04] equipment that we have to best serve our
[1:06] customers and our community. Therefore,
[1:08] we have to train and be very familiar
[1:09] with every piece of equipment in this
[1:11] bag. These are checked every morning and
[1:13] we verify that nothing's expired. We
[1:15] have everything that we need. We stay up
[1:17] to date here at Bloomington Fire.
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Other Topics from This Document
EMS capabilities and equipment
Medical bag inventory and maintenance
Cardiac and airway support supplies
Pediatric emergency response tools
Trauma and bleeding control
Training and equipment verification procedures
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