Lee Commission approves purchase of lifesaving tool

LEESBURG — Lee County emergency responders’ ability to save lives was improved when county commissioners unanimously authorized the purchase of a Lucas 2.2 Chest Compression System Tuesday night.

The device, which will be placed in a centralized location so that EMTs and firefighter/EMTs can utilize it on cardiac-related calls, gives paramedics a new tool to help save lives while transporting patients to the hospital.

“This machine right here is going to take most of the work out of what we do when it comes to cardiopulminary resuscitation,” Lee County EMS Director Bobby Watkins told commissioners. “Once we place it on somebody who is in cardiac arrest, the heart’s stopped for whatever reason, we’re going to be able to mechanically compress the chest.

“Now that doesn’t sound like a big deal, but it is. When we have to pump out 100 compressions in a minute, it’s very tiring. There’s no way you can put out 100 compressions using the same steps, the same rate, every time. That’s why we’re going to have this machine here.”

The consistency of the chest compressions, Watkins said, is important because the compressions circulate oxygenated blood through the body which is what keeps a patient alive until the heart can begin pumping again on its own.

“If any of you guys collapse right now, you’ve got enough oxygen in your blood to last four minutes if we can circulate it,” he said. “Nowadays, to lay people, they don’t even teach mouth-to-mouth because they know if you get compressions going in four minutes, they’re good.

“They’re going to need some air eventually, but in four minutes, hopefully an ambulance can be there or somebody else can be there to help. That’s how important the compressions are, it just circulates that oxygenated blood that you already have, the minute you go down.”

Howell added that the Lucas system will also cut down on human fatigue error and potential injuries to paramedics attempting to administer chest compressions in a moving ambulance.

“When we’re doing chest compressions, at the very best, most people only last a couple of minutes,” said Howell. “If you’ve ever taken CPR, and I recommend you do that, it takes everything you have. Imagine compounding that with stress, anxiety, physical exertion, all that stuff. You’ll only last a few minutes on an ambulance.

“The other thing is, it’s a safety factor from the standpoint that in the best CPR anybody can do in an ambulance, you’re holding on to a rail and you’re compressing down with one (hand). All of the courses teach two-hand CPR because we want to get the same depth, same rate every time. It’s impossible to do manually. Then if you compound that with going down a bumpy road at 70 miles an hour in an ambulance, swinging, trying to keep your balance, you can’t do it. You won’t be effective.”

Although the cost for one of the Lucas machines is $15,340.05, which Watkins said is “expensive,” the commission also learned Tuesday night that part of that cost would be covered by grant proceeds from the Mitchell Electric Membership Corporation Foundation, and that the county might receive additional funding from other sources.

After Sumter EMC Vice Chairman Greg Crowder appeared before the commission to present a $5,000 check to be used to purchase safety equipment, county Co-manager Christi Dockery informed commissioners that her office was looking into additional foundation funds to help defer the county’s expenses.

“We are going to go after some other foundations,” said Dockery. “Mitchell EMC, we are part of that, as one of their customers in Mitchell County, and they give a foundation award of $10,000. Georgia Power also has a foundation. We’re going to be aggressively pursuing that.”

Watkins added that his department is also looking into a grant to help fund the purchase of additional Lucas machines to be placed on ambulances throughout the county.

“They are expensive, but it’s very effective,” he said. “We’ve applied for a grant for five more to take the burden off the taxpayers.”

Despite the potentially high cost of purchasing multiple machines, commissioners wasted little time approving the purchase of the first Lucas system, with Commission Chairman Dennis Roland saying it is important to provide equipment that can save the lives of county residents.

“I think it’s a good deal for Lee County to help save lives,” he said. “And that’s what we’re about up here — quality of life and saving lives.”

County lifesavers themselves also got some good news Tuesday night when the commission unanimously approved a resolution to amend the county’s 2012 salary survey to provide for a $1 per hour increase in pay for all firefighters who have completed their EMT advanced training and received certification.

The Public Safety department actually dominated Tuesday’s meeting as, in addition to the pay increase and the Lucas machine purchase, the commission also welcomed Lee County interim Fire Chief and Emergency Management Agency Director David Forrester, who is assuming those roles following the recent retirement of James Howell.

Public Safety Department interim Director Wesley Wells, said Forrester, who has been with the Lee County Fire Department since 2007, has 15 years experience as a fire chief within his 30-year career in fire services and will be a good fit to “move public safety into the next phase of increasing services and delivering a better product to our citizens.”

Forrester said he was up to the challenge and looking forward to serving the community in his new role.

“I’m excited about it,” he said. “I’ve been here for over 10 years as part of the department, and I certainly want to see it continue to grow and progress and move forward. We are here to serve the citizens of Lee County.”

In other matters commissioners unanimously:

— Approved a consent agenda which contained approval of a variance application for Donald and Carla Roberts for the purpose of constructing a garage that is less than the required 10 feet from the side of the property line on their Quail Chase Drive property;

— Awarded a $4,500 concession stand bid to sole bidders Jeff and Amanda Bryan;

— Adopted a resolution authorizing a date change to the final Capital Improvements Elements package;

— Adopted a resolution authorizing an application to be submitted to the Georgia Department of Community Affairs for a Small Cities Community Development Block Grant of up to $750,000 for Greenview Estates.

The commission’s next scheduled meeting is a work session slated for March 14 at 6 p.m.