Lincoln Receives National Recognition for Cardiac Arrest Response
Published on March 14, 2023
Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird and Lincoln Fire and Rescue (LFR) officials today announced that Lincoln has received national recognition for its outstanding cardiac arrest response. The Lighthouse Community designation from the Resuscitation Academy means that LFR is operating at the highest life-saving level.
Lincoln is one of only 10 locations in the country and is the only city in the Midwest to receive the Lighthouse Community designation.
“The Lighthouse designation is the result of our strong investments in public safety, the dedication of our first responders and medical professionals, and the altruism of Lincoln residents, who play a crucial role in the chain of survival through bystander CPR,” Mayor Gaylor Baird said.
Aaron Pospisil, LFR Battalion Chief, said the Seattle-based Resuscitation Academy works with emergency medical service providers and leaders, as well as community and elected officials, to help communities worldwide strengthen their cardiac arrest survival rates through the Lighthouse Program. This recognition enables LFR to serve as a resource for other communities that want to improve their cardiac arrest survival rates.
Twice a year, Pospisil said, EMS leaders from around the world gather in Seattle to learn and exchange ideas on how to save more lives and to create a world where all survive sudden non-traumatic cardiac arrest. To earn the Lighthouse designation, Lighthouse Communities must embody the 10 steps to achieve Lighthouse designation. Some of the criteria includes providing low-dose, high-frequency high-performance-CPR and telecommunicator-CPR training; providing regular and non-punitive feedback to first responders; entering data into a registry; dedication to continual improvement and committing to help other communities improve.
“This designation would not be possible without the complete chain of survival; early detection of cardiac arrest and 911 activation, by-stander CPR, dispatch aided CPR instruction, and early intervention by our hospital partners,” said LFR Fire Chief Dave Engler. “Ongoing attention to performance, development of community relationships, and continual improvement will result in maintaining one of the best performing EMS systems in the country and the best outcomes for the Lincoln community.”
LFR staff also demonstrated life-saving techniques using a new automatic chest compression device to show how high performance CPR is administered. The device was one example of new lifesaving equipment LFR recently showcased that will be used to maintain its cardiac survival success rates. Other apparatus recently put into service include cardiac monitors, powered cots and automated external defibrillators.
Overall, the survival rate for non-traumatic cardiac arrests in Lincoln for 2022 is 18.4%, twice the average nationally, according to most recent statistics. This means that 26 people were revived following a sudden cardiac arrest. Statistically, only 13 people should have survived.
Lincoln also affords a greater than double opportunity for patients to survive, in part because of CPR performed by bystanders prior to the arrival of first responders. Of the 141 non-traumatic cardiac arrest cases in 2022, bystanders were performing CPR 70.8 % of the time when LFR arrived compared to the national CPR rate of 40.2%.
Jessica Loos, Communications Manager, Emergency Communications Center, Lincoln Police Department, thanked Lincoln residents and LFR staff for their cooperative efforts to produce successful cardiac arrest outcomes.
“Each link in the chain of survival is vital to the next,” Loos said. “None of this could be accomplished without your partnership at the time of the call. We look forward to continuing our efforts with Lincoln Fire and Rescue as a Lighthouse Community, the citizens of Lincoln, and continuing our commitment to ensuring confidence in the service you receive in our community.”
Lincoln Fire and Rescue is a combined fire and emergency services department that responds to all 911 calls in Lincoln, and in nearby communities that contract with LFR. Lincoln Fire and Rescue has received the Mission Lifeline Award from the American Heart Association for seven consecutive years – the last five being Gold Plus Awards.
More information on LFR is available at fire.lincoln.ne.gov.