Fire Department Receives Mission Lifeline Gold Award

The North Ridgeville Fire Department is proud to announce that it has received the 2016 American Heart Association: Lifeline EMS Performance Achievement Award. The award is given to prehospital professionals that are driving improvements in the care of STEMI patients. An ST-elevation myocardial infarction, or a STEMI heart attack, happens as a result of a complete blockage in a coronary artery. A STEMI attack carries a great risk of death and disability. By diagnosing a patient on the scene rather than waiting until they are transported to a hospital, emergency medical service (EMS) personnel can determine the best course of action to take to begin the appropriate means of treatment quickly.

To achieve the Gold Performance Achievement Award, the North Ridgeville Fire Department achieved a 75% or higher compliance score for each specific EMS quality measure for 24 months. These measures include:

• Percentage of patients with non-traumatic chest pain greater than or equal to 35 years of age, treated and transported by EMS who receives a prehospital 12 lead ECG.
• Percentage of STEMI patients transported to a STEMI Receiving Center, with prehospital First Medical Contact (FMC) to Device (PCI) less than or equal to 90 minutes.

The North Ridgeville Fire Department joins 565 other EMS agencies in the U.S. and 1 of 57 other EMS agencies in Ohio that are receiving the 2016 American Heart Association: Lifeline EMS Performance Achievement Award. The support of our community and the dedication of our fire department personnel have allowed us to celebrate lives saved!