Donations help MRT purchase device

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By Linda Collins

For the Herald

MAD RIVER TWP – ‘Tis the season for giving, and several residents recently spread some holiday cheer by donating to the Enon/Mad River Township Fire and EMS Department.

Fire and EMS Chief Tracy Young told Mad River Township Trustees during the Dec. 7 and Dec. 21 meetings that the fire and EMS department had received a number of monetary donations that would be used to help purchase a second LUCAS (Lund University Cardiopulmonary Assist System) device for the EMS department.

The life-saving device, which Young said would cost about $13,000, is designed to provide continuous chest compressions when there is a cardiac emergency. The chief said the device is simple to use and enables EMS responders to focus on attending to other aspects of patient care during transport to the hospital.

“This device will provide uninterrupted CPR to a person in cardiac arrest,” Young said. “It will also allow our paramedics and EMTs to remain seated during transport.”

During the Dec. 7 meeting, Young expressed his gratitude to Earl and Diane Swingle for their $1,000 donation and Antonio and Alice Laino for donating $300. The chief noted that Earl Swingle had written a letter thanking the EMS team for their excellent emergency medical treatment when he suffered a pulmonary embolism.

According to Young, Swingle believed that the patient care he received from the township EMS team helped led to his survival. The $1,000 donation, Young said, was a token of his appreciation.

At the Dec. 21 meeting, Young thanked former township resident Calvin Hahn and the Enon/Mad River Township EMS Association for donating $1,000 each to the department and to long-time resident Charlot Wade for her $100 donation.

Young also said that the Enon Community Historical Society had pledged to donate the remaining balance for the second Lucas Device.

“We are closer to reaching our goal, thanks to the generous support from these members of the community,” Young said.

Mad River Township Trustee Kathy Estep also expressed her gratitude, on behalf of the township trustees, to those who contributed to the effort.

“We wish to thank everyone for your generosity,” Estep said. “These donations are testimonies to the EMS department’s great service to the community.”

In August, the fire and EMS department purchased its first LUCAS device with donations from Seepex Inc., Enon Community Historical Society, Enon and Mad River Township Fire Association, Township Trustee President Joe Catanzaro, and township resident Robert Swinehart.

The recent donations will enable the EMS department to equip both of its medic units with the device. Young said he is anticipating purchasing the second LUCAS device early next year.

Linda Collins is a freelance reporter for the Fairborn Daily Herald.

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