Monitor helps firefighters at medical callouts

Anyone on the Mahurangi East peninsula who suffers a cardiac emergency could be the beneficiary of a state-of-the-art defibrillator, thanks to the generosity of the Rodney Health Trust.

The Mahurangi East Volunteer Fire Brigade averages between 250 and 300 callouts annually, of which about 70 per cent are medical-related. Many of the volunteers have received special training to respond to these emergencies.

Chief fire officer Jason Connolly says that there are sometimes delays in getting an ambulance to a patient, depending where it has to come from, which means local firefighters are often the first ones on the scene.

Last year, the brigade’s medical support officer Carey Dobbs approached the health trust with a request to purchase a $30,000 cardiac monitor and defibrillator.

“The machine means we can better monitor a patient’s condition and pass that information on to the ambulance,” Dobbs says. “The machine monitors vital signs including blood pressure, oxygen saturation levels and breathing, as well as how CPR is being administered.”

This means that decisions can be made quickly to get the appropriate emergency response, which could mean calling for the rescue helicopter or making sure an intensive care paramedic is on the ambulance.

Dobbs understands that Mahurangi East is the first brigade in NZ to have this latest cardiac monitor on base.

The brigade currently has 22 firefighters but is always on the lookout for new recruits. Anyone interested is welcome to turn up to a training night, held at the station on Mahurangi East Road on Tuesdays at 7pm, or email Jason at Jason. connolly@fireandemergency.nz