McCreary County EMS awarded grant

Photo by Greg Bird
Jimmy Barnett and Willie Duncan review the grant award notification that will allow for the purchase of automatic chest compression systems for ambulances.

The McCreary County Ambulance Service received notification last week that they were awarded a $487,439 grant to purchase new mechanical chest compression systems.

EMS Director Jimmy Barnett and Assistant Director Willie Duncan made the announcement Friday, adding another grant award to the long list of accomplishments the service has achieved in recent years.

The grant, obtained through the Assistance to Firefighters Program offered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will allow the Ambulance Service to purchase and equip the automatic devices in every ambulance – providing an additional level of potential life-saving tools at their disposal.

“It will be a life saving device for us,” Duncan said. “It will increase the chances of someone surviving a cardiac event by 50 to 75 percent, when compared to normal CPR.”

The chest compression systems are designed to deliver uninterrupted compressions at a consistent rate and depth to patients needing CPR en route to the hospital.

“With no hospital in the county, our paramedics and EMT’s would have to perform CPR in the back of an ambulance for the entire trip to the emergency room,” Barnett said. “As anyone who has performed CPR knows, it is tiring and hard to keep a consistent rhythm. These machines will take over that task and allow the medic to perform other duties.”

The Ambulance Service will have to solicit bids from manufacturers for the devices, but Barnett and Duncan have done their homework, noting the grant award will cover the cost of the equipment.

The company that will provide the equipment will also provide training for all EMS staff to use the equipment.

This week United States Senator Mitch McConnell issued a statement concerning the grant.

“I was happy to work with the McCreary County Ambulance Service and help secure funding for these new CPR devices,” Senator McConnell said. “This competitive federal grant will allow McCreary County EMS to increase responsiveness and efficiency as they continue to provide vital medical treatment and service to the citizens of Whitley City and the surrounding communities.”

Barnett was appreciative of the Senator’s support, saying, “Senator Mitch McConnell was instrumental in this award. He and his dedicated team worked with us and diligently helped us with addressing multiple issues in order to make this award a reality. This is one grant that will physically save lives, and thanks to Senator McConnell, this will be possible. Our small town in no way would have been able to purchase this equipment without his support.”

Over the past four years the Ambulance Service and McCreary 911 have received over $540,000 in grants.

Barnett said he and Duncan are constantly looking for grant opportunities to purchase equipment or improve the service provided by EMS and 911. They are waiting on notification of another grant application they submitted for new radio system through the Department of Homeland Security.

“We are very proud of this department and are already looking at ideas and grants for next year,” Barnett said.

He also noted the Ambulance Service has become self sufficient over the past couple of years, needing no support through Occupational Tax funds.