Tempe Fire Medical Rescue upgrades heart monitors to help save more lives

When a person’s heart is in trouble, having clear, accurate information — and getting it to the right people fast — can make all the difference.

With new heart monitors now on every Tempe fire truck and ambulance, first responders can see more of what’s happening inside a patient’s heart and send that data straight to the hospital in real time. That means faster treatment, better coordination and better outcomes, according to a release.

Starting this week, Tempe Fire Medical Rescue is rolling out the Stryker Lifepak 35, a next-generation heart monitor and defibrillator that gives paramedics more information faster, when it matters most.

The new monitors help crews identify heart attacks more accurately, deliver lifesaving shocks more efficiently and transmit live EKG data to hospitals, giving emergency room teams extra minutes to prepare for a patient’s arrival.

Tempe is proud to be the first fire department in the East Valley to put these devices into full service, the release states.

“The technology in these new Lifepak 35 monitors will improve the treatment capabilities of our paramedics, leading to improved outcomes for our patients and helping us meet our long-term goal of improving cardiac arrest survival in Tempe,” Interim Fire Chief Darrell Duty said in the release.

“This is about getting people the best possible care when they need it most. The new monitors help us move faster and communicate better with hospitals,” Deputy Fire Chief Kevin Bailey Jr. said in the release.

Before rollout, every firefighter and paramedic in Tempe completed 6.5 hours of training on the new devices that included lectures and hands-on experience.

The devices were secured through an eight-year lease, making it possible to outfit every fire truck, ambulance, special event unit and training rig at once. That means no matter who responds to your emergency, they’ll have the same powerful tools ready to help.

Paramedics will use these monitors on a wide range of calls from cardiac arrests and chest pain to any situation where someone’s heart or vital signs need close attention.

Tempe Fire Medical Rescue responds to more than 300 cardiac arrest calls every year. These new monitors are one more way we’re making sure that when someone calls for help, we show up ready—with the tools that matter most, the release states.