New ambulance equipment coming to Colfax

Upgraded equipment is now on its way to the Colfax Fire Department to improve lifesaving efforts and job performance.

During the Jan. 10 city council meeting, Colfax Fire Chief Brandon Bruxvoort appeared before the council to present his department’s case as to why the new equipment is needed.

While the documents Bruxvoort submitted to the council lists six different items, his main talking points were two big ticket items, which each cost more than $10,000.

The two items under consideration from the council consisted of a self-loading cot, which will eliminate the need for responders to lift the patient into the ambulance, and a chest compression system which will perform CPR on patients while they are in the ambulance. Bruxvoort argued the system will reduce the need for CPR to be performed by responders.

“I think these items will be a great addition to the department and will really help both patients and our volunteers. Right now we are struggling with fewer staff and bigger patients. I do think that these items will take some of the strain off responders, and hopefully we’ll see fewer back injuries from strain,” Bruxvoort said.

Bruxvoort’s report also contained a breakdown of the new equipment costs.

In total, the entire purchase comes to $59,747. The self-loading cot cost $24,279 and the chest compression cost $13,939. The four other items listed on the purchase make up the remaining $21,529 of the bill.

Several council members questioned Bruxvoort as to how the fire department plans to pay for these improvements.

“I’ve already figured all of the purchases into the department’s five-year equipment rotation, so the entire cost will come out of that equipment fund,” Bruxvoort said. “We always make sure to stagger the purchase of more expensive items to stay within our equipment budget every year.”

The council authorized Bruxvoort to purchase the equipment with no changes to his request.

Both the CPR machine and the self-loading cot will be installed in one of the department’s two ambulances. Bruxvoort said the department’s second ambulance will receive similar upgrades later down the line once the equipment budget allows for it.

Contact Abby Knipfel at 641-792-4687 ext. 6531 or aknipfel@shawmedia.com