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Sierra Madre Fire Department to pilot pre‑hospital lung ultrasound in county study
Summary
City staff said Sierra Madre Fire Department will join a pilot to use handheld lung ultrasound (Butterfly POCUS) in the pre‑hospital setting; training is scheduled for March at Station 41 and the device purchase was funded by community donations.
Sierra Madre Fire Department staff updated the council that the department was selected as one of two Los Angeles County agencies to participate in a pilot study testing pre‑hospital ultrasound use, focused on lung imaging.
Staff said state and local EMS agencies approved the pilot and that physicians, educators and county partners will provide training in March at Station 41. The department will use a handheld Butterfly POCUS device that connects to phones and tablets and automatically syncs data for later analysis. The pilot aims to help paramedics distinguish causes of respiratory distress in the field, speed treatment decisions and potentially shorten on‑scene times.
Staff cited studies suggesting paramedics can interpret some ultrasound images with high accuracy after short training, and said the purchase was supported by community donations. The department plans to collect data intended for possible countywide optional scope‑of‑practice adoption if the results support broader use.
Council members asked about staff training, operational coverage and whether the whole crew would be trained; staff said all paramedic‑level members will be trained and that a compact training session (about three hours) is planned with hands‑on models and physician instructors.
