Jackson County EMS using some $465,000 in grant money for upgrades to some of the county’s ambulance equipment.
EMS Director Keith Bean said the grant dollars will go to purchase cardiac monitors, cots, cot loading systems and a mechanical CPR device.
“The ones we have are currently, they’re over ten years old,” Bean said. “So, I guess their lifespan, I guess you could call it, kind of used up. So, this is a way for it to be affordable to the county, to be able to replace that and keep our equipment up like it should be.”
Bean said it has been difficult to get service contracts on the current equipment. Bean said the new equipment will enable the EMS crews to better serve the citizens they need to transport.
“The technology on the new monitors is going to just make it easier to detect what’s going on with the cardiac rhythms,” Bean said. “They also work with the Lucas devices, which is the CPR device, to help coordinate the shocks and stuff when you need to. And of course, the load system helped the workers not to, you know, be able to get the bigger people into the units without hurting themselves.”
Bean said the funds will allow him to buy these four pieces of equipment for four of their five ambulances.
Bean said he ordered the equipment Tuesday.
“I actually got the purchase order this morning and placed the orders for them, but, we didn’t get an ETA on the delivery,” Bean said.
Bean said this particular grant is from the federal government’s Community Development Block Grant. Bean said the EMS department recently received a state grant for $150,000. Bean said that money is will be used to purchase a supervisor vehicle and other ambulance equipment.
