Foxboro Fire Dept. trains to use ultrasound technology
By: Melissa Randall
Email: mrandall@abc6.com
Twitter: @MRandallABC6
FOXBORO, MASS. (WLNE-TV)— It was back to the class room for firefighters and paramedics in Foxboro Tuesday. About 20 members took a hands on course in how to do an ultrasound. The lesson excited these first responders and put them on the cutting edge of patient care.
“That was part of the goal of this program was to kind of create new excitement with an innovative new technology that’s fairly easy to use but does make a difference in the way people receive treatment,” explained Deputy Chief Michael Kelleher.
Foxboro will be the first department in Massachusetts to add the machines to their rescues.
It will allow them to identify potential life threatening injuries that right now they don’t have the ability to see.
“This is going to put us a little bit closer to what the hospital can do. It certainly isn’t going to take the place of that by any means but its one more thing that we can do,” said Brian Foley, a firefighter/ paramedic with the Department.
The machine will help them examine a patient’s organs and determine if they have internal bleeding. Deputy Chief Kelleher says that will be especially helpful in events like car crashes which they respond to quite often given the number of surrounding highways.
“One of the big pieces out here that we need to put together is where we’re going to bring out patients because we’re out here in the suburbs so the trauma centers are a little further away. This is just one more tool we can use to make that decision,” he said.
The department will be leasing the ultrasound machine for a few thousand dollars a year. Its money they say will be well worth it if it saves even one life.
Foxboro Fire plans to roll out the ultrasound technology September 1st.
© WLNE-TV 2018
