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Assistance to Firefighters Grants (AFG) Success Stories

The difference of life and breath

Redmond Fire & Rescue



REDMOND, OR -- For injured patients, the difference between life and death can mean just a few breaths.

Supplying patients with oxygen sometimes depends on a small tube that is precisely inserted through the mouth and into the lungs. The Redmond Fire & Rescue district knows the value of each passing second when a life hangs in the balance, and getting a patient intubated is the pathway to treatment, recovery and life.
"Our equipment was old, needed replaced and there weren't funds or expectations of funds to purchase new," said Redmond Fire & Rescue Chief Tim Moor. "Without the help we've received from FEMA AFG grants, Redmond Fire & Rescue would have still been struggling able to replace old equipment."
"We were concerned about the safety of our paramedics and the rate of injury to patients during intubation," said Mona Novotny with Redmond Fire & Rescue. "Using standard manual intubation equipment, our paramedics were frequently sprayed with biohazards. Intubation was difficult and often unsuccessful without multiple attempts increasing the rate of infection and recovery time for the patient."

Redmond Fire & Rescue applied for and received a 2009 Assistant to Firefighter Grant. The department used the grant funds to purchase video laryngoscopes with a monitoring device, which is used by the paramedics at a safe distance away from the patients' mouth. The device is especially useful in difficult intubations, decreasing the impact on the patient during procedures. Each of the four ambulances in the department were outfitting with the device.

Within a few weeks of receiving the devices, it was put to use. The EMS Directory responded with crews responded to an elderly cardiac arrest victim, and intubation was successful on the first attempt.

A few weeks later, the device was used again by the EMS Director on a victim of front-end collision with an oncoming vehicle that crossed into his lane.

The victim's car crunched into a small mass, wrapping it around him. Crews had to extricate him from the car. The victim was critically injured, suffering from multiple lacerations, head injuries and a near leg amputation. Paramedics attempted two times to unsuccessfully intubate the victim using the standard intubation system.

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Map of Redmond, OR
Fire Department Vital Statistics
Residents served: 41,555
Area served: 450 square miles
Department Web Site: Click Here
Grant: 2009 AFG
Grant Amount: $170,537
About the department: four stations, 73 employees
Answered 3,779 calls in 2009
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The EMS Director, who was testing the devices before outfitting the ambulances, arrived shortly after the initial intubation attempts. The victim was intubated on the first attempt with the new unit.

Both the cardiac and car crash patients, intubated using the new devise, are alive to date (June 2010).

"This is a wonderful tool that has already benefited patient safety," said Chief Tim Moor. "It has cut down on potential secondary injuries and infections of the patients because it allows us to fully secure the airway so no emesis goes into the lungs. This prevents pneumonia and other respiratory infections that worsen patient outcomes."

After a relative short amount of training, paramedics successfully used the devise with a high degree of ease. Days after being trained on the new device, one paramedic responded to a gunshot patient. A difficult intubation under standard procedures, the patient was intubated using the new intubation device without trouble or more trauma.

During the transfer to the Air Life helicopter, the patient was accidentally extubated. The flight nurse tried to re-intubate using the standard method, but was unable to visualize the vocal cords. The nurse retrieved the new device with video monitor and successfully intubated the patient without difficulty, and without previous experience on the device.

The grant was practically helpful since the city has suffered some economic hardships recently. Redmond Fire & Rescue's area experienced a 34 percent increase in population from 2004 to 2007. City funds were pulled from fire and police to help pay for improving roads, water and infrastructures. As demands for emergency response grew, revenue continued to became tighter.

In 2008, the economy bottomed out. The area's unemployment rate is now more than 16 percent. With more demands and less revenue, replacing old equipment wasn't an option and not in the city's budget.

"Our equipment was old, needed replaced and there weren't funds or expectations of funds to purchase new," said Chief Tim Moor. "Without the help we've received from FEMA AFG grants, Redmond Fire & Rescue would have still been struggling able to replace old equipment."


What They Bought With The Grant:
Nozzles
Video laryngoscopes with monitors
PPE and air supply for arson/fire investigations team
Fire training smoke machine
Residential lock boxes
Lock boxes with monitoring capability for apparatus
Fire prevention and life safety supplies for educational activities

Last Modified: Friday, 25-Mar-2011 17:48:23 EDT

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