A firstofits-kind program delivering advanced life support capabilities in the prehosp system for cardiac victims is staying in Edina. In 2021, the Dina Fire Department began a partnership with Fair View and other health care providers to operate the mobile extracaporeal membrane oxygenation or ECMO truck as part of a pilot program to treat patients experiencing severe cardiac or respiratory failure without access to specialized services. This specialized unit allows for rapid deployment of equipment and personnel to initiate ECMO therapy significantly improving survival chances for critical patients. >> 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. >> During the pilot phase, Edina Fire found that the model was not sustainable because when an ECMO call was dispatched, an ambulance or fire crew was taken out of service to respond. Under an amendment to the contract approved by the city council last month, Fairview will fund two dedicated positions to staff the ECMO truck. When these personnel are not actively deployed on ECMO related calls, the contract permits them to assist with Edina fire operations, including emergency response and other needs of the department. >> 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. The contract provides nearly $340,000 annually for staffing through 2027.