DOWAGIAC — The Dowagiac Fire Department was recently awarded $12,000 from TC ENERGY to purchase new life-saving equipment.

Program Perfect CPR is a project that is based and centered around providing the best possible care available to the community in the event of a cardiac emergency.

The Lucas automated CPR device is a state-of-the-art piece of equipment that provides perfect CPR each time. Dowagiac Firefighters are trained in CPR and provide emergency medical care when seconds count, however, they are not able to perform CPR as efficiently and effective as this life-saving piece of equipment.

The LUCAS device improves CPR quality and increases chest compression fraction time—on-scene, during transport, and throughout the entire resuscitation. “Patients treated with mechanical chest compressions received higher quality CPR than those treated with manual chest compressions.

Dowagiac Firefighters are looking forward to starting the training process on this new piece of equipment. Once fully trained, the equipment will be placed in service on their apparatus.

“Thank you to TC ENERGY for funding our grant, not only for our Fire Department, but our community as well,” the department said in a Facebook post.