Lubbock Fire Rescue responds to a lot of different kinds of calls beyond just fires. Part of their training includes medical training like CPR.
Friday, that training was in action as Lubbock Fire Rescue responded to a bridge collapse in Mae Simmons Park. According to the City of Lubbock, city employee Mark Fort was pulled out of a skid loader that went into the water, and CPR was started on him before he was taken to the hospital.
Fort was listed in critical condition at University Medical Center as of Monday morning.
LFR said they imitated CPR as EMS was arriving on scene.
“The American Heart Association, which is who we certify through, has really led a push on that to get CPR started as quickly as we can,” LFR Battalion Chief Chris Addington said.
“We do CPR refresher annually, now we integrate that into some drills and things more frequently than that, and then we review cases on it more frequently than that,” Addington said about how often they train on CPR.
Addington broke down the numbers and said in LFR, they have 285 EMT-basics, 61 EMT-intermediates, and 33 paramedics. He also said everyone has some level of training, including CPR and basic level training.
According to the Department of State Health Services, “Texas has five levels of certification. The highest is Licensed Paramedic, followed by EMT-Paramedic, EMT-Intermediate, EMT-Basic and Emergency Care Attendant (ECA).”
Addington said LFR’s goal is to provide the best patient care possible when they respond.
‘When we go to a scene, every one of our people have a role, so that we can accomplish the most in the shortest amount of time,” Addington said.
LFR said they can offer training in CPR to groups.
