DELPHOS — The Delphos Fire Department has at its disposal two new cardiac heart monitors, with a third such device expected to be added at the beginning of next year.
One of the new cardiac monitors came to the department via a donation from St. Rita’s Health Partners. The other was purchased with donations from the community.
According to Patrol Chief Andy Berelsman, the new heart monitor units — which carry a price tag of about $29,000 — replace similar devices that are aging and do not include the latest technology.
The new devices, Berelsman said, are smaller and lighter than the units they are replacing, “and they can do more” in the way of helping first responders save lives. The new technology, he said, allows paramedics to gather and disseminate information more quickly than their predecessors, which in turn can save lives.
Berelsman said if a patient is suffering a heart attack, information to that effect will be revealed on the screen of the heart monitor.
“Then the first responders can relay that information to St. Rita’s [or any other treatment facility]. This gives [hospital officials] early notification so when first responders get there the patient can go straight into the cath lab” for immediate treatment, the Fire Department spokesman said.
“It’s good to know we have the support of area hospitals, Berelsman said in thanking St. Rita’s for the “generous” donation.
Brian Anderson, EMS coordinator for St. Rita’s, said the hospital for the past four or five years has been providing donations “to help area first responders give top-of-the-line care to their communities. This is a team effort, because time is of the essence” when tragedy strikes. The heart monitors are “expensive, but they’re crucial” tools for first responders to have at their disposal, he said.
“We’ve helped purchase equipment for multiple departments in Allen and surrounding counties,” Anderson said.
Berelsman said contributions from the community, as well as from the Densburger Foundation, allowed the Delphos Fire Department to purchase a second heart monitor. A third unit is budgeted for purchase in 2018, he said.
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