Robots helping save lives on Kauai

HONOLULU (KHON2) — Robots can be lifesavers, and that’s especially true for the Kauai Fire Department, which started using CPR robots.

The LUCAS CPR robot is a device that can provide the right amount of pressure for chest compressions to revive a patient with heart failure.

The Kauai Fire Department started using them in June and the chief said it has become a go-to tool for all the crews.

“When we do the manual compressions, we have the monitor that shows us how effective we are and when the guys saw the machine on top and it was able to 100% of the time make that, they were kind of convinced at training,” said Kauai Fire Department Chief Michael Gibson.

He said firefighters can do compressions for over an hour at times which can be exhausting. So having the machine do most of it is a big help.

“Especially when we are transitioning, we’re taking somebody off of the trail or moving them into the ambulance,” said Gibson. “That’s when it’s really hard to do effective CPR, this machine doesn’t let us down.”

He said with the training firefighters have done, setting up the robot only takes a few seconds. The packs are portable and can be carried in a backpack.

Gibson said each one costs about $20,000. KFD has eight of them, one for each fire station, and they were donated by a couple who had a family member saved by a CPR robot on the mainland.

“They knew that because of the quality of the compressions at the distance that person had to travel to the hospital, they survived as a result of the CPR device,” he said.

Gibson added that other counties are also looking to purchase CPR robots for their fire departments