By Myra Bean

The Sardis Fire Department last week was the recipient of a refurbished Lifepak Monitor and Defibrillator. The department is the only one in Panola County with the equipment, except for the LifeGuard ambulances which have the units.

The department entered a  national contest and won out of over 400 entries. The machine is valued at over $20,000.

Only nationally certified EMTs and paramedics are allowed to operate the machine on a call. Sardis Fire Chief Mitchell Daughtery considers this equipment as necessary to render quicker “critical, time sensitive care” to the community, especially in the instance where the wait time for the ambulance service may be extended.

“I am extremely proud of the initiative taken by my medical crews in our department to improve our level of care for patients in our district. We are always striving to improve Sardis Volunteer Fire Department in every service we provide. With the donations we receive from our community and the hard work, and time all of my members put in, we continue to grow SFD and train hard to provide the best services we can,” Daugherty said.

According to Phillip Woods, Coromed account director and flight paramedic, there are additional uses for the equipment.