City approves purchase of 4 new heart monitors
NORWICH - On Tuesday the City of Norwich Common Council approved the purchase of four new heart monitors for roughly $140,000 using moneys leftover from the 2018 budget.
The city council unanimously approved the purchase of four Zoll X Series Unit heart monitors following extensive discussion regarding how many new units needed to be purchased and if leasing was a viable option.
City EMS personnel have been using the same heart monitors since 2005, said Norwich Fire Chief Jan Papelino, units that are no longer being made and are considered obsolete. The department asked for four new units - one for each of its ambulances - to replace the old ones.
"There's just so much more technology out there than there was 14 years ago," said Papelino. "The bottom line is they're going to save lives. You can't put a price on the difference between the two and the lives they can save."
City of Norwich Alderman Ward 1 Matthew Caldwell said before approving the purchase the council deliberated whether the purchase of just two heart monitors would suffice, if the city should consider leasing, and if it should look into a financing package through a local bank as opposed to outright purchasing them.
"There was a lot of talk about, do we really need four?" said Caldwell. "And if so, why? The explanation was there's four trucks, if there was an emergency where a second ambulance is called to the scene the paramedics and our emergency response personnel won't have to be thinking of, 'Is the equipment that's coming on the second vehicle the same as what's on the first?'"
The council ultimately decided the city would be able to purchase four new units using leftover money from the 2018 budget. By purchasing all four units, Caldwell said, Zoll is adding in roughly $15,000 worth of extra equipment that wouldn't be included otherwise.
Papelino said each unit is roughly $32,000, but said they have a life expectancy of 10 years and over, which boils their cost down to about $3,200 annually. He said the new units are as up-to-date as can be and will make the jobs of EMS personnel easier.
"It's almost like a hammer to a carpenter," said Papelino. "It's a tool of the trade. Whether it be a full heart monitor or whether we're doing an O2 saturation with a patient, they get used probably on 90 percent of the calls we go on now. They're a staple to the toolbox of one of the medics in the back."
The city council approved the purchase with a roll call vote of 5-0, with Alderman Ward 6 Robert Jeffrey absent. Caldwell said although it's a large purchase, the monitors are as state-of-the-art as can be, and their value will show in years to come.
"We're talking about life and death here," said Caldwell. "Not luxury stuff that we can maybe live without."
The city council unanimously approved the purchase of four Zoll X Series Unit heart monitors following extensive discussion regarding how many new units needed to be purchased and if leasing was a viable option.
City EMS personnel have been using the same heart monitors since 2005, said Norwich Fire Chief Jan Papelino, units that are no longer being made and are considered obsolete. The department asked for four new units - one for each of its ambulances - to replace the old ones.
"There's just so much more technology out there than there was 14 years ago," said Papelino. "The bottom line is they're going to save lives. You can't put a price on the difference between the two and the lives they can save."
City of Norwich Alderman Ward 1 Matthew Caldwell said before approving the purchase the council deliberated whether the purchase of just two heart monitors would suffice, if the city should consider leasing, and if it should look into a financing package through a local bank as opposed to outright purchasing them.
"There was a lot of talk about, do we really need four?" said Caldwell. "And if so, why? The explanation was there's four trucks, if there was an emergency where a second ambulance is called to the scene the paramedics and our emergency response personnel won't have to be thinking of, 'Is the equipment that's coming on the second vehicle the same as what's on the first?'"
The council ultimately decided the city would be able to purchase four new units using leftover money from the 2018 budget. By purchasing all four units, Caldwell said, Zoll is adding in roughly $15,000 worth of extra equipment that wouldn't be included otherwise.
Papelino said each unit is roughly $32,000, but said they have a life expectancy of 10 years and over, which boils their cost down to about $3,200 annually. He said the new units are as up-to-date as can be and will make the jobs of EMS personnel easier.
"It's almost like a hammer to a carpenter," said Papelino. "It's a tool of the trade. Whether it be a full heart monitor or whether we're doing an O2 saturation with a patient, they get used probably on 90 percent of the calls we go on now. They're a staple to the toolbox of one of the medics in the back."
The city council approved the purchase with a roll call vote of 5-0, with Alderman Ward 6 Robert Jeffrey absent. Caldwell said although it's a large purchase, the monitors are as state-of-the-art as can be, and their value will show in years to come.
"We're talking about life and death here," said Caldwell. "Not luxury stuff that we can maybe live without."
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