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Health & Fitness

Lifsaving Apparatus Allows Knollwood Fire Department to Impact Emergencies

Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital collaborates with Knollwood Fire Department to equip its frontline engine with life-saving equipment

 

Through a collaboration with , the Knollwood Fire Department has equipped its frontline fire engine with advanced life support (ALS) gear.

The addition of the ALS equipment means that first responders now have the same life-saving capabilities as paramedics when responding to an emergency.

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“Through this initiative, we have improved service to the whole area,” said Knollwood Fire Department Battalion Chief Erik Kositski. “In the past, our role was more supportive. We could take vitals and provide oxygen until the ambulance arrived. Now we can effectively treat people who have suffered heart attacks, strokes and diabetic crises, among other things.”

In responding to an emergency, the ALS-equipped vehicle is the first to be dispatched.  The truck is staffed with one to two paramedics daily, who provide on-site support until a transporting ambulance arrives. The funds for the ALS equipment were secured through a grant from Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital.

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“The addition of the equipment immediately benefits surrounding Lake County communities,” says Lori Patsis, Emergency Medical Services coordinator at Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital. “When another local fire department is unable to respond to an emergency, Knollwood’s ALS engine can be dispatched. The first few minutes of an emergency are often critical to saving lives. Now, Lake County has another tool in its toolbox of life-saving capabilities.”

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