By RAELYNN RICARTE
News staff writer

Pine Grove firefighters have added two Automated External Defibrillators to their toolbox of equipment to address public safety needs.

The portable electronic devices will speed up the process for medics to diagnose and treat potentially life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias.

Not only does the high-tech display screen provide information more expeditiously, the computer prompts allow even a layman to apply the apparatus.

However, the Pine Grove crew has trained to get the monitoring pads in place quickly and acclimate to the incoming signals. Their goal is to detect chaotic electrical activity in the heart and then use a shock treatment to restore the proper rhythms.

According to medical data, for every minute that a person in cardiac arrest goes without being successfully treated (by defibrillation), the chance of survival decreases by 10 percent.

“Early detection saves lives and this equipment will give us that advantage,” said Chief Greg Borton, who oversees the Odell Fire Department and contracts with Pine Grove for administrative services. 

The rural department is manned by 30 volunteers and the defibrillators were each purchased at a cost of $1,695 after a 25 percent discount by the manufacturer.

Firefighters in Pine Grove credit the countywide support of their annual auction for the ability to purchase new equipment that increases their operational efficiency and effectiveness.

For example, the department paid two-thirds of the $8,784 cost for a thermal imager with auction proceeds. The remaining one-third of the funding came from revenue collected by the special taxing district.

The imager tracks body heat so firefighters can locate people trapped in a smoke-filled room.

Pine Grove emergency responders are now training as auctioneers and collecting items for the auction.

The 44th year of fun — including food from the Country Kitchen — begins at 9 a.m. Saturday, March 6, in the 2995 Van Horn Drive station. The auction continues until the merchandise is gone, sometimes as late as 1 a.m. the next day.

Mike Frahm, auction organizer, expects to raise $10,000-$15,000 as usual by selling thousands of donated items for the home, farm or work shop.

Anyone wanting to contribute to the auction, or seeking more information, can call Frahm at 541-354-3252 or the department message line at 541-386-2900.

Pine Grove Fire Department’s territory covers 10 square miles that begins at Interstate 84 to the north and zigzags south to Fir Mountain Road. The western boundary lies at the top of Ehrck Hill Road and the eastern edge along a ridge of Fir Mountain. Pine Grove, by a mutual aid agreement, protects the stretch of I-84 from Hood River to Mosier and fights wildfires in the neighboring town.

Borton served as the incident commander for the first 24 hours of the major Microwave Fire last August that burned 1,225 acres in and around Mosier.

In 2009, Pine Grove responded to 56 fire alarms, 29 medical calls and 28 miscellaneous requests for assistance. In addition, firefighters answered 48 mutual aid calls and spent 820 hours in training. A total of 1,705 man hours were dedicated toward protecting citizens in and around the community.