WORDEN — The Worden Volunteer Fire Department was recently awarded funding for a LifePak 15 defibrillator from “Mission: Lifeline,” an American Heart Association initiative aimed at improving the system of care for heart attack patients throughout rural Montana.
Joy Eshleman said the department put in for the grant for the LifePak 15, which costs about $25,000, to replace an older LifePak version it now uses.
The LifePak 15, which is now considered the new standard in emergency care, helps Worden Fire Department members monitor a patient’s condition in real time (heart rate, rhythm, blood pressure and oxygen saturation in the blood) in order to identify whether or not that person is having a heart attack.
Eshleman said the LifePak 15 also has EKG, blood pressure and carbon monoxide monitors, and the battery system is much more dependable than the former model.
“Ours doesn’t have all the bells and whistles like some,” she said. “But these can be used to run all kinds of equipment, even in hospitals.”
The training for the new machine is basically the same as for the older version, but the printout will be different and may take some time to get used to. Eshleman said the LifePak 15 also has a modem the transmits information to hospitals through Verizon.
“When we received this, we were just asked to donate our LifePak 12 to a smaller department,” she said, explaining that Broadus will receive the unit.
According to the American Heart Association, the LifePak 15 grant was made possible thanks to a $4.6-million gift from The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust, one of the nation’s largest foundations, to Montana to implement a three-year “Mission: Lifelife” initiative.
