Written By: Prince William County
The Prince William County Fire and Rescue System (FRS) is replacing 53 LifePak-15 cardiac monitors/defibrillators and 135 LifePak-1000 automated external defibrillators (AED). FRS advanced life support personnel use LifePak-15s to treat cardiac emergencies, while FRS basic life support personnel use AEDs to treat cardiac arrest.
In addition, AEDs are located throughout County facilities to allow a member of the public to immediately treat someone in cardiac arrest, prior to the arrival of FRS personnel. The LifePak units, initially purchased in 2013, have a service life of eight years, and 90 percent of them were scheduled for replacement in July 2021.
Stryker, the LifePak vendor, offered the County a discount for agreeing to purchase replacement units by Dec. 31, 2020. The Prince William Board of County Supervisors recently budgeted and appropriated $2 million to purchase new units for a savings of $742,000 or 40 percent off the contract price.
The funding for the units comes from the Fire and Rescue Department’s Emergency Medical Services billing fund.