The Elgin Fire Department has received a $72,000 grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency that will put state-of-the-art CPR devices in its front-line ambulances.

And according to a news release from the department, the grant couldn’t come at a better time.

During a four-month trial in 2017, the Return of Spontaneous Circulation percentage rate in cardiac arrest victims rose from 36 percent to 57.9 percent. Upon completion of the trial, the ROSC rate returned to 36 percent. The current National ROSC average is 26.3 percent.

Each year in the United States, more than 300,000 individuals suffer non-traumatic, out-of-hospital, sudden cardiac arrest and is the leading cause of death in adults over 40. The Elgin Fire Department responds to approximately 56 cardiac arrest incidents annually.

Elgin Fire Department Chief David Schmidt said there’s no doubt the CPR devices will save lives.

“I think the data clearly shows how beneficial these devices can be to our patients and their outcomes,” he said. “These devices should also help reduce work-related injuries while keeping our members safer.”

The $72,000 funding comes from FEMA’s Assistance to Firefighters Grant program. The funding will allow the department to acquire five mechanical cardiopulmonary resuscitation devices designed to provide high quality, consistent chest compressions that meet American Heart Association standards for rate, depth and speed.

Schmidt said Firefighters Anthony McMeel and Patrick Rasmussen, Lieutenants Chris Kennedy and Mike Oine, and Senior Management Analyst Aaron Cosentino were instrumental in assisting in the creation and organization of the grant request.

“On behalf of the Elgin Fire Department I would like to thank FEMA and their Assistance to Firefighters Grant program for awarding us this grant,” he said. “I would also like to thank Sen. Dick Durbin and Sen. Tammy Duckworth for their support of our application and request.”

SOURCE: Elgin Fire Department news release

• FEATURE PHOTO CAPTION: This photo is an example of a CPR unit in action, from the Memphis Fire Department. It is not necessarily the same as the units in Elgin.