The Eau Claire Fire Department could soon have a new life saving device. Tuesday, the City Council approved accepting a $120,000 donation from the Cohen family to buy six 12-lead EKG defibrillators.
Cardiologists say the EKG's will get vital information to doctors quicker and can help save your life if you're having a heart attack. (SEE FULL STORY BELOW)

-------------

The Eau Claire Fire Department will now officially cover emergency calls to two more towns in the county. Tuesday, the City Council approved EMS agreements with the Towns of Lincoln and Ludington.
They're both located east of Eau Claire.

-------------

ORIGINAL FIRE DEPARTMENT DONATION STORY:

It's a donation that doctors and rescuers say could help save your life. A local family gives the Eau Claire Fire Department $120,000 for some new equipment.

The Cohen family offered the money after seeing a piece of heart equipment in Arizona. It's one they wanted the people of Eau Claire to benefit from.

"If you save five or 10 minutes those are very critical times,” says Luther Midelfort Cardiologist Dr. Daniel Kincaid.

That’s because when you're having a heart attack, doctors know every second counts.

Emergency Room nurses like Kerrie Erickson use 12-Lead EKGs to get vital heart information to the doctors as soon as a patient comes in. Emergency responders will soon have portable ones at their fingertips in Eau Claire County.

"Previously we would have to wait for the person to get to the ER. This way it can be done at a person’s home, on the highway of wherever. It could save 10 or 15 minutes to a half hour of time for the hospital to get ready," Kincaid says

Firefighters in Chippewa Falls got four of them about a week ago thanks to an $80,000 grant. The Eau Claire Fire Department hoped a grant could help them out sometime next year. Now, Battalion Chief Rick Merryfield says they could have their new gear in a month or two.

"We're very excited about this opportunity that will enable us to get them so much faster," Merryfield says.

And the opportunity to work quicker with doctors to help get patients the help they need.

"We want to have your heart open within 90 minutes. If we have to stop in the ER, it can be very difficult to open it in that time,” Kincaid says. “It's exceedingly generous of them.”

The Cohen family made the donation in honor of Dr. Kincaid. He says this isn't the first time they helped out heart patients. Kincaid says 25 years ago they helped pay to get defibrillators out in the field.