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Clay County Sheriff’s Office accepts Helmsley grant for one Lucas CPR device
Summary
The Clay County Board of Commissioners approved acceptance of a $25,000 grant from the Helmsley Charitable Trust to purchase a Lucas automated chest-compression device for the sheriff’s office and authorized training and asset tracking for the unit.
The Clay County Board of Commissioners on May 27 approved acceptance of a $25,000 grant from the Helmsley Charitable Trust to purchase one Lucas automated chest-compression device for the sheriff’s office.
The device “provides chest compressions for [a cardiac victim] at the right speed and the right depth,” Gabe Empting, sheriff, told the board during a presentation. Empting said the county is one of roughly 25 agencies in Minnesota to receive the award and that the device is intended to give first responders sustained, consistent CPR in rural settings where crews can tire quickly.
Empting said two deputies attended a train‑the‑trainer program in Alexandria and will train other deputies at no cost. He told the board the device can be paused so an automated external defibrillator (AED) can be applied, and that some models communicate with AEDs by Bluetooth. The package includes spare batteries and accessories; Empting noted batteries alone are costly and carry a limited warranty.
Commissioners asked about lifecycle costs and maintenance. Empting said the county will submit the unit as a fixed asset for internal service planning and add it to the county’s insurance schedule; he estimated a useful life of about five years for planning purposes and said batteries carried a two‑year warranty.
Commissioner Ebinger moved to accept the grant; Commissioner Krenbenhoft seconded. The motion passed unanimously.
The sheriff’s office plans to keep the device in rotation in squad cars so it can respond countywide; Empting said additional devices would require further grant funding.
Clarifying details: the board approved acceptance of a single Lucas device funded by a Helmsley Charitable Trust grant of $25,000; two deputies completed train‑the‑trainer instruction in Alexandria and will train county staff at no charge. Commissioners asked about warranty, training, integration with AEDs, and asset/sustainability planning.
The board approved forwarding the grant paperwork so the sheriff may take delivery and schedule staff training.
