Edina City Council — Transcript
Wednesday, March 18, 2026
Story
Edina funds dedicated staff for pioneering mobile heart-lung support truck
Votes (1)
Approval of Contract Amendment for Mobile ECMO Truck Staffing
The Edina Fire Department's pioneering mobile ECMO program, a partnership with Fairview, initially struggled with sustainability as it pulled existing emergency crews out of service. To resolve this, a contract amendment was proposed and approved, ensuring Fairview funds two dedicated positions for the ECMO truck. These personnel will also assist with general Edina fire operations when not deployed for ECMO calls, enhancing overall department capabilities.
Notable Quotes (2)
The first in the world mobile ECMO procedure was done right here in Edina. And ECMO is a in layman's terms heart and lung bypass. So, it's a machine surgery that's performed uh where you can oxygenate the blood outside of the body and put it back in to help save lives.
So part of any good pilot program is is failures and successes. So, we're using this opportunity to showcase the staffing of this vehicle with dedicated staffing while still growing the response capabilities for our Edina residents with this pilot program.
Ordinances & Resolutions (1)
An amendment approved by the city council to fund two dedicated staffing positions for the mobile ECMO truck program, providing $340,000 annually through 2027.