Annapolis‘ fire department is getting much needed funding to replace outdated heart defibrillators, but more money is needed to replace decade-old equipment.
“The machines we have now are functional, but they’re at the end of their life expectancy,” said Capt. David Twigg, who heads the EMS function of the department.
U.S. Sens. Barbara Mikulski and Ben Cardin announced Thursday federal approval of a $108,000 grant to buy five defibrillators with monitors that show heart rates.
“First responders protect our homes and communities, and the federal government has a responsibility to protect them by providing them with the tools they need to do their jobs safer and smarter,” Mikulski said in a news release.
With the equipment, Annapolis paramedics will be able to provide more advanced life support to city residents in need.
“Annapolis residents are going to get definitive care on each engine that responds to a call,” Twigg said.
The new machines replace ones that are 10 years old, one year past its life expectancy, officials said. But the grant only covers five of the 21 machines the department has in use, Twigg said.
The defibrillator costs on average $2,400, while the heart monitors cost on average $19,000 each.
Like other fire and EMS departments, Annapolis is struggling to pay for medical equipment that is rising in costs due to oil price – to avoid latex allergies, most of the supplies are petroleum-based, Twigg said. Supply costs have risen by 75 percent, he said.
Though Annapolis rescuers respond to 9,000 calls a year, it a small department compare to others in the region, making it harder to vie for grant funding, officials said.
The department won a 2005 federal grant to install an emergency generator and sprinkler system that eventually saved a station building from a fire.
