North Haven Fire Chief Paul Januszewski demonstrated the Lucas Chest Compression system Monday, March 6 at fire department headquarters, and thanked town resident Tariq Farid for donating the device.
Januszewski, fire commissioner Peter Criscuolo, Farid and his wife Asma attended the program, which was broadcast by NHTV.
The Lucas device is an automatic cardiopulmonary resuscitation machine that provides consistent chest compression, relieving fire department and emergency medical professionals from performing manual CPR. “It takes the element of human error and fatigue out of the process,” Januszewski said. “When a patient goes into cardiac arrest, it provides the shock necessary to bring the patient back to life.”
The Lucas CPR device is valued at $16,000.
Criscuolo called the apparatus “cutting edge” and thanked Farid for donating it. The selfless resident donated jaws of life equipment to the town in 2015.
Farid, who owns Edible Arrangements and operates the Tariq Farid Foundation, which supports charitable causes, said, “It’s nice to be able to give back and support people who help us every day.”
Januszewski said the department responds to 4,500 calls a year, and more than 50 percent are medical incidents, including cardiac emergencies.