Ohio BWC Grant Aids County EMS First Responders

A $40,000 safety intervention grant check was awarded to the Sandusky County Emergency Medical Services agency by the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation.

The grant will be used to purchase cardiac support pumps that will help first responders better perform CPR while protecting them from on-the-job injuries. This system has a band that squeezes a wide area of the chest, spreading out the force of compressions and maximizing blood flow. It will also reduce the risk of injuries to first responders associated with doing CPR during loading and unloading, as well as reducing exposure to injuries that can occur when personnel are required to stand unrestrained while the ambulance is in motion.

Sandusky County EMS is a county government operated system not affiliated with the fire service. The system has four ambulances across 390 square miles of Sandusky County that handle all emergencies for the population of about 59,000. EMS currently rotates rescuers who manually perform CPR at a rate of 100 compressions per minute on the scene and throughout transport. This activity includes manually compressing the chest in a kneeling position, or a twisted walking position while rescuers are carrying a patient on a backboard. Once in the ambulance, rescuers must stand up unrestrained and compress while in route to the hospital.

Source: Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation