First responders in Hernando County are training on a new state of the art medical device that fire rescue says could save more lives. 

  • New CPR device to help save more lives in Hernando County
  • The device, Lucas 2, takes place of the first responders arms and hands
  • Lucas 2 can go as long as you need for continuous CPR

“When you’ve got a code, when you have a cardiac arrest come in it’s go time,” said firefighter/paramedic Kris Falcone. 

The call can be hectic. “You’ve got IV’s, you got drugs, you’ve got a monitor, you’ve got all things you have to get onto the patient and while you’re doing that you have to continuously do CPR,” said Falcone. 

However, life saving measures in Hernando County are shaking up with a new device called the Lucas 2. In many situations it will be taking the place of first responders arms and hands. “The Lucas device is a machine, it’s not a person, when a person is doing CPR, anytime any person goes over a minute we’re finding that they’re not doing the quality CPR that we need,” said Captain Mike Loucks. 

This device can go as long as you need for continuous CPR using a suction cup that pushes down on and pulls up on the chest. “That’s part of the problems that we have sometimes with CPR is we may be leaning too far in or not letting that chest recoil,” said Captain Loucks. “When that chest recoils it brings in more blood to the patient’s heart and what we’re trying to do is fill the heart with blood and get the heart full of oxygen.”

Something especially critical in a county with a large elderly population. On average Hernando County Fire Rescue responds to two to three cardiac arrest calls a day. 

“They'll go on our busiest engines and eventually we'd like to get enough devices to go on all of our rescues," said Captain Loucks. 

The department currently has five devices and plans to roll them out after training at the beginning of next year. 

The cost for each device is $15,000. Hernando County Fire Rescue was able to secure a state grant that covered 75 percent of the cost for each device. 

A few Bay Area hospitals have the device. Hernando County Fire Rescue is the only current Bay Area fire department that has them. However, Polk County Fire Rescue will also be equipped with them in the near future.