The Rappahannock County Board of Supervisors has approved $278,139 of funding for the purchase of six new Lifepak 35 monitors, a newer model of lifesaving devices used by all of the fire and rescue companies in the county. The total cost of the new equipment is more than $343,000.
“We’re hoping to transition from the Lifepak 15, which is a 16 or 17-year-old device, to the new Lifepak 35,” Darren Stevens, emergency services coordinator told the supervisors at last Wednesday’s meeting.
The upgrade of the Lifepak devices comes to the board as one of several recent initiatives recommended by the Public Safety Committee and proposed by Hampton Supervisor Keir Whitson.
Stevens said the Lifepak device is a key item used by emergency responders on every call, and collects vital signs as well as functions as an AED and pacemaker. It keeps a record of the patient’s state and all actions performed by responders before they arrive at the hospital.
All county EMS units use Lifepak 15 devices. Stevens said new Lifepak 35 monitors would add new capabilities, like pediatric AED and the ability to live stream patient data to hospitals.
Stevens said for streamlined transfers and to maximize effectiveness, all six county emergency response units would need to transfer to new devices at the same time. He has been working with a vendor to obtain a volume discount on new devices as well as a $6,000 per-unit trade-in value on the county’s existing Lifepak 15 units.
Stevens said that by buying all of the units at once, the county would reduce the cost of replacement by 18%. According to county staff, some fire companies pledged to cover part of the costs of their machines, and the county was asked to cover the rest — about 80% of the total cost.
Piedmont Supervisor Christine Smith noted that some departments are paying 50% of the cost of a new Lifepak unit for their company, and others are not paying anything, with “no justification for why they aren’t able to pay.”
Stevens said he did not look at the details of each company’s financial situation, but asked each how much they are able to pay toward a new machine at this time. He said that new equipment costs the same amount for each company, but they all have different financial situations and resources available.
Smith said she understood and agreed that each company has a unique situation, but suggested that going forward, a precedent be set to gauge need.
“We need a measure that we can gauge who can afford to pay and who can’t,” Smith said. “If we’re going to start funding fire and rescue needs in this manner, we ought to have a policy that shows needs before we do the funding. And it needs to be uniform for everyone.”
Stonewall-Hawthorne Supervisor Van Carney disagreed with Smith, and said the board does not need a “bright-line rule.” He said Stevens’ approach of asking what each company can contribute works, and that a hard and fast rule may disadvantage companies that have money in the bank, but are not in the position to pay a bulk of the cost.
Chair Debbie Donehey suggested that some type of “capital grant form” could be submitted going forward that outlines a need for financial assistance to the board. Jackson Supervisor Donna Comer agreed, saying that it is not unreasonable to ask for a letter of request stating why financial help is needed.
Donehey said she thinks that all companies need the same technology across the board, even if all are not willing or able to fund them at this time, to ensure that the level of care is uniform throughout the county.
“I want everybody in the community, no matter what company shows up, to know they are going to do the best,” Donehey said. “This saves lives.”
Ireland Hayes is a reporter for Foothills Forum, a nonprofit organization that supports local news in Rappahannock County.
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