Fire Department Buys CPAP Units

The recently purchased three CPAP, which stands for Continuous Positive Airway Pressure, units and accessories with money raised at the annual , Chief Paul Lepore said.

The Redondo Beach Firefighters Association voted to use the proceeds from the spaghetti dinner to buy the units so they could provide a "better level of paramedic care" to the community, Lepore said.

"Nothing came out of the city budget; nothing came out of the Fire Department budget," Lepore said.

No money came out of the city or Fire Department budgets to purchase the units and related equipment, which cost about $5,000 total, he said.

The CPAP unit, which consists of a control unit hooked up to an oxygen tank and a hose with a full face mask, actively pushes oxygen into a patient as he or she breathes, forcing the patient to take deeper breaths and expand his or her lungs. It's sometimes used by sleep apnea sufferers.

"[It's] one of the most revolutionary tools that has come to paramedic care in the last 20 years," Lepore said.

According to firefighter-paramedic Tim Dennis, the department has seen "positive results" since they received the units about two weeks ago. As patients breathe deeper, their oxygen saturation increases, their heart rate goes down and their condition improves.

"The goal is to prevent [patients in respiratory distress] from going into respiratory arrest," said firefighter-paramedic Curt Mahoney. Once a patient enters respiratory arrest, he or she must have a tube inserted down his or her throat.

According to paramedics, intubation tends to lengthen hospital stays, increasing the cost for both the patient and taxpayers in general.