Equipment will save lives

Two pieces of equipment obtained by the Havre Fire Department may save lives because of the quick response time they allow.

Firefighters were busy in the basement of the fire station on Tuesday, learning the intricacies of the new equipment which they say will enable them to work fast and provide faster care to people in heart distress.

Fire department engineer Nate Courtnage, the fire department's training officer, said that when he arrives to find someone suffering from a heart problem, his first task is to perform CPR.

"Every second counts," he said, adding that for people suffering from heart attacks, especially those with outright cardiac arrest, time is of the essence.

But, he said, the CPR has to be interrupted as the patient is placed on the backboard and firefighters take the victim to the ambulance.

When firefighters arrive at Northern Montana Hospital, the patient is placed on an EKG and hospital officials determine whether the patient can be treated in Havre or has to be flown to Benefis Medical Center in Great Falls. If needed, the medical helicopter is then summoned. It can take 40 minutes for the helicopter to arrive. Valuable time is lost along the way.

The new equipment will move that process along much faster, saving lives, Courtnage and Fire Chief Tim Hedges said.

The American Heart Association has awarded the department a 12 lead EKG that will solve some of the present-day problems.

The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust has given the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services $3.2 million to purchase automatic compression devices for fire departments and ambulances throughout the state.

Instead of stopping CPR when the victim is being carried to the ambulance, Courtnage said, the CPR will continue.

Often, ambulances are staffed with three firefighters, Hedges said. This will free up an additional set of hands for other duties.

The 12 lead EKG will be invaluable in speeding along the process, they said.

When they arrive at the scene to find someone in cardiac distress, firefighters will connect him to the 12 lead EKG. Within seconds, he will be connected to staff at Northern Montana Hospital, who will be able to monitor the patient's EKG in real time.

Hospital staff members will be able to figure out whether it is a problem they can solve or whether the patient will have to be flow to Benefis Medical Center in Great Falls.

If a flight to Great Falls is needed, Northern Montana staff can summon the medical helicopter immediately, saving valuable time.

Should the patient be in a remote part of the county - the fire department covers a vast swath of rural Hill County in addition to the city of Havre - the helicopter may be at the hospital by the time the ambulance gets there.

"It is as instantaneous as a text message," Courtnage said.

The hospital staffs can also forward the EKG results to the cardiologist on call. The cardiologist can follow the results on a smartphone.

The development in technology excited firefighters as they practiced on each other Tuesday.

Firefighter Cody McLean played the role of heart attack victim as others practiced on him. Others used dummies for practice.

It was, they agreed, the dawning of a new age.