PORT ANGELES — A newly acquired medical device helped Clallam County Fire District No. 2 firefighters save a man’s life and get him to a hospital, district officials said.
The condition of the man, who was not identified, was unknown Thursday.
A video-enhanced laryngoscope, which the district received Oct. 22 and put into service Oct. 30, is being credited in part for saving the man, who was having a heart attack and was unconscious, at a Draper Road residence east of Port Angeles late Monday night, Chief Sam Phillips said.
Laryngoscope
Firefighter/Paramedic Margie Bowlby and Firefighter/Emergency Medical Technician Tyler Reid deployed the laryngoscope, a bladed instrument that is placed into the larynx, during CPR.
Video laryngoscopy allows medics to place a breathing tube down a patient’s throat without interrupting CPR.
The device “worked perfectly” on Bowlby’s first attempt, Phillips said.
“We have great personnel, and they deserve to have the best tools we can afford with our limited budget,” Phillips said in a news release.
“I am glad they suggested we purchase this device when they did.”
The patient was taken by Fire District No. 2 to Olympic Medical Center in Port Angeles, where he was placed into a medically induced coma.
“It’s touch-and-go for a while,” said Phillips, who did not know the man’s condition Thursday but said he was still at OMC.
Trained on its use
Firefighter/paramedics trained on the proper use of the video laryngoscope before the unit was placed in Fire District No. 2’s primary ambulance.
The cost of the video laryngoscope and 2-inch monitor was $1,484.
The unit is lightweight, self-contained, battery-operated and water-resistant, Phillips said.
“It’s just an amazing piece of equipment,” Phillips said in a telephone interview.
Fire District No. 2 provides fire suppression and emergency medical service to 9,500 central-county residents outside the city of Port Angeles, including the hamlets of Deer Park, Gales Addition, Black Diamond, Dry Creek, Lake Sutherland and Mount Pleasant.
Its 40 volunteers and three full-time firefighter/paramedics respond to an average of 1,500 emergency calls per year.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5072, or at rollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
