Fire department receives donation of CPR training equipment

The Springfield Fire Department received two new pieces of training equipment thanks to a donation from Kelley Sales and Service on Clinton Street.
http://eagletimes.villagesoup.com/p/fire-department-receives-donation-of-cpr-training-equipment/1317221

Fire department receives donation of CPR training equipment By SAMANTHA TIGHE | Mar 13, 2015 Photo by: Samantha Tighe Springfield firefighter and paramedic Paul Stagner (left) accepts a donated AED training unit from Patrick Kelley (right), owner of Kelley Sales and Service. SPRINGFIELD — The Springfield Fire Department received two new pieces of training equipment thanks to a donation from Kelley Sales and Service on Clinton Street. A CPR manikin and an automated external defibrillator [AED] training unit will be introduced into training exercises, says Paul Stagner, a firefighter and paramedic at the fire department. “This is something that we use a lot,” Stagner said. Though the training equipment was donated to the fire department, Stagner said, everyone is able to benefit from them — these items will be available to use at various CPR classes throughout the town and surrounding area. It also allows the firefighters and paramedics to be prepared to handle life-threatening situations when responding to calls. “Every year everyone in the fire department has to be recertified in AED and CPR,” Stagner said. The AED training unit is built much like an actual defibrillator, though it does not send out the electric charges, Stagner said. The equipment donation from Kelley Sales and Service was made possible by a partnership with the National Automobile Dealers Association [NADA] Charitable Foundation. According to a press release, the NADA Foundation has a medical grant program that donates CPR units to organizations across the country. Since it’s implantation in 1975, the medical grants program has donated more than 4,600 pieces of equipment — worth an estimated $3 million. “If the right kind of treatment can be given to a victim within seconds after he or she is stricken, the chances are good that the life can be saved,” said Patrick Kelley, owner of Kelley Sales and Service. “CPR training teaches a person how to keep the heart beating while waiting for professional help to arrive.”