Mason City ñ Thursday, January 27, 2011 – The Mason City Fire Department welcomed the members of the Cerro Gordo County Association of Independent Insurance Agents at the fire station today.
The insurance agents were watching the fire fighters training on the Department’s newest AutoPulse unit. This AutoPulse unit given to the Department by the insurance agents is the second of these state-of-the-art mechanical CPR compression unit housed at the Mason City Fire Department. The AutoPulse unit has been shown to increase the quality life after a cardiac event in which CPR needs to be administered. “This is particularly true when CPR must be sustained for extended periods of time ñ such as when the Department is responding to Northwood or the other far reaches of its service territory,” according to Deputy Chief Dave Johnson. For Deputy Chief Doug Janssen, an important benefit for the AutoPulse is the safety factor for paramedics.
“Standing in the back of a moving ambulance doing CPR can be very dangerous. By using the AutoPulse, not only is the paramedic safer, but is able to provide medical interventions while the patient is receiving quality chest compressions,” according to Janssen. “This makes the unit a win/win for both fire fighters and citizens.” “The Fire Department does not receive any tax-based funding for its ambulance services,” reminds Chief Bob Platts. “So donations of expensive equipment like this from the Cerro Gordo County Association of Independent Insurance Agents is sometimes the only way we can get this state-of-the-art equipment to use.”
The Department’s other AutoPulse unit was donated last year by the Mason City Clinic. |
