By Hannah Leone
The Beacon-News
AURORA, Ill. — Before next month is over, the Aurora Fire Department plans to have all of its front-line vehicles upgraded to provide basic life support.
This means those engines and trucks can or will carry drugs and assessment equipment such as blood pressure cuffs, stethoscopes, bandages, oxygen, automatic external defibrillators and other airway equipment, said Aurora Fire Department spokesman Lt. Jim Rhodes.
EMS Battalion Chief Clete Rettenmeier and Support Paramedic Joe Blesdoe have made it a goal for the department to upgrade all fire apparatus not licensed by the state as an Emergency Medical Service vehicle to provide basic life support, with the intent of reducing the amount of time to get help to patients, according to a statement from the fire department.
Six engines have been upgraded this year - three in March and three in May, according to fire officials. In June, they plan to upgrade the department’s three truck companies with the basic life support items.
Rettenmeier estimated the equipment upgrades cost $1,000 per engine, Rhodes said.
The department also has six ambulances equipped for advanced life support and its other three engines can provide a paramedic level of service, according to fire officials.
The introduction of fire engines with life support equipment has already helped reduce the amount of time it takes to get trained people on the scene to treat patients, according to fire officials. From March 16 to May 3, the department reduced its average response time by 54 seconds from 5 minutes 24 seconds to 4 minutes 30 seconds, a decrease of almost 17 percent compared to the same period last year, according to department officials.
The faster response times are especially important now, when the fire department has treated 9.5 percent more patients so far this year compared to the same period last year, according to fire officials.
“The call volume of the fire department has increased significantly over the past several years putting greater stress on department resources,” according to a statement by the fire department.
Before the change, fire vehicles responding to medical incidents wouldn’t necessarily have all of the equipment to treat patients, according to fire officials.
Copyright 2016 The Beacon-News