Pictured from left to right, are Seth Moss, firefighter; Rick Arnic, LCRA regional affairs representative; Gregory Klaus, Bastrop County judge; Bailey Grahn, firefighter; Robert “Bobby” Lewis and Margaret D. “Meg” Voelter, LCRA board members; Donnie Grauke Jr., firefighter; Josh Coy, Bluebonnet community representative, Bastrop area; Josh Gill, fire chief; Kevin Hoegenauer, lieutenant; Lisa Eller, office manager; and Guy Hall III, firefighter.
A $25,000 grant from Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative and the Lower Colorado River Authority will help Bastrop County Emergency Services District #2 purchase two new mechanical CPR devices.
The Community Development Partnership Program grant, along with $14,142 in matching funds from the department, will pay for devices that will perform chest compressions, allowing first responders to focus on other aspects of emergency care. The devices also will help reduce fatigue in first responders who are called upon to perform CPR for extended periods.
“As someone who does CPR, I know how exhausting and taxing it is,” said Fire Chief Josh Gill. “These mechanical CPR devices provide high-quality compressions the entire time and remove the human element of fatigue when administering CPR.”
Bastrop County ESD #2, which has both paid and volunteer firefighters, responds to about two dozen cardiac calls a year. The department is often the first on the scene, and its first responders perform hands-on CPR for an average of 40 minutes for unresponsive patients, Gill said.
The two new mechanical CPR devices will be the first for the department and will be placed on each of the department’s primary response trucks.
“These devices give the highest level of CPR possible,” Gill said. “It gives the community peace of mind knowing we can provide high-quality care in emergencies.”
Bastrop County ESD #2 primarily serves 200 square miles of unincorporated areas of Bastrop County, including Paige, Camp Swift, Bastrop State Park, Lake Bastrop Acres, Circle-D/KC Estates and Tahitian Village/Pine Forest. It offers mutual aid to all of Bastrop County, as well as McDade and Elgin.
“There may be situations where we need to respond to multiple emergencies at one time,” Gill said. “With the mechanical CPR devices, we can have more first responders available to aid in other emergencies, which is critical in our rapidly growing community.”
The community grant is one of six grants being awarded by Bluebonnet and LCRA through LCRA’s Community Development Partnership Program, which helps volunteer fire departments, local governments, emergency responders and nonprofit organizations fund capital improvement projects in LCRA’s wholesale electric, water and transmission service areas. The program is part of LCRA’s effort to give back to the communities it serves. Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative is one of LCRA’s wholesale electric customers and is a partner in the grant program.
Applications for the next round of grants will be accepted in July. More information is available at lcra.org/cdpp.