Firehouse Subs announces grant for lifesaving auto-compressor CPR for local Fire District

JACKSON COUNTY, Ore. — Wednesday morning, Firehouse Subs in Medford announced a grant awarded to Jackson County Fire District 5 to purchase a necessary life-saving machine.

"Even if we're moving a patient to the ambulance, from the ambulance to the hospital, CPR doesn't stop," Captain Aaron Bustard of JCFD5 said. "It also gives us, the paramedics, the opportunity to start IVs and stuff like that to help the survival rate."

Bustard wrote the grant proposal for the auto-compressor machine. He says JCFD5 may only see a handful of cardiac arrests each year, but it's a machine the fire district needs.

"Unless we have more people show up [to an emergency call], we're kind of limited to just CPR which means we can't give drugs, we can't do other things, airway management that we need to do," Bustard noted.

The first machine will be used at the Emigrant Lake fire station for now, where FD5 only has two people stationed.

"What it'll do is basically give us two guys, two people that can do CPR," Bustard said.

The machine will free up the two personnel already stationed there to do other things Bustard mentioned before.

For Medford Firehouse Subs, they've given out grant money before for different purchases.

"We've already done an AED for the Medford Police Department," Richard Summers, owner of the local Firehouse Subs, said. "We've already done an AED for the Bend Police Department. Those are about $1000 each."

The grant covered the entire $14,000.01 cost, according to Bustard. That cost includes the machine, its charger and two batteries for it. Summers says this is the first big grant they've given, having only been in Medford about nine months.

"It just really shows how much the community has rallied around first responders," Summers said.

Summers also wanted to take the opportunity to spread the word about getting more grant proposals submitted. If you would like to submit a proposal to the Firehouse Subs, click here. For more information and Frequently Asked Questions about the grants and who can apply, click here.