Mattoon Fire Dept. gets new fire truck, CPR device

MATTOON, Ill. (WCIA) — The Mattoon Fire Department is celebrating a new fire engine and LUCAS CPR device. The department said these two tools will be a big help to them and the community.

In the past, they’ve had old engines fail service tests and needed something reliable. The new LUCAS CPR device creates an extra set of hands for the paramedics so they can focus on other situations if need be.

“It’s really cool that we can do that. I mean, the device itself is going to give it better compressions at a more reliable rate. Whereas humans, you know, we get tired after we [go] so long. That’s why you only want to do compressions for two minutes at a time,” Engineer Paramedic Joshua Welling said. “But it’s just a really exciting time to know that we’re getting these devices which essentially help us.”

The city’s video poker revenue paid for the CPR device. Their fire engine came from a revolving loan fund.

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