OXNARD : City Firetrucks to Carry Defibrillators
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Firetrucks at Oxnard’s six fire stations will now carry emergency medical equipment to help save the lives of heart attack victims after an Oxnard City Council vote Tuesday to buy seven defibrillators.
The devices, which can increase survival rates of heart attack victims by as much as 40%, will be in use by the end of August, officials said.
The city will spend $53,000 to purchase the defibrillators and to provide training for emergency medical workers.
Defibrillators can stabilize a weak or irregular heartbeat by sending an electric jolt to the heart.
“We’re very excited about it,” said Haywood Merricks, Oxnard fire battalion chief. “It’s been a long process.”
Merricks said studies have shown that heart attack victims have the highest survival rate when treated within six minutes. All citizens in Oxnard are within six minutes of emergency medical assistance, he said.
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