Firehouse Subs donates $13K piece of life-saving equipment to GFD

GAINESVILLE - Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation is celebrating the donation of much needed equipment to the Gainesville Fire Department.<br /> <br /> Friday morning, the department received a chest compression system, called the LUCAS 2 device, during a ceremony at the Firehouse Subs location on Shallowford Road.<br /> <br /> Fire Division Chief Keith Smith said the department sought out Firehouse Subs' grant program. "We actually spoke with the... makers of the LUCAS device and they suggested to us several different grant options, one of them being Firehouse Subs."<br /> <br /> Smith said the department filled out the application for the $13,000 device and was fortunate enough to be selected for the grant. <br /> <br /> The device is used to deliver uninterrupted chest compressions at a consistent rate and depth to patients, helping to improve a the chance of survival. <br /> <br /> "The performance of your CPR can vary depending on the training...and even professional rescuers get tired, that's just part of being human," Smith said. "But the LUCAS system doesn't do that. It doesn't get tired. It keeps doing the same depth of compressions, the same rate of compressions from the time it's turned on to the time it's turned off."<br /> <br /> Firehouse Subs created the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation in 2005 with the mission of providing funding, life-saving equipment, and educational opportunities to first-responders and public safety organizations nationwide. To date, the value of its donations has totaled $10.1 million in 41 states and Puerto Rico, including more than $779,800 in Georgia.