Randy Luttrell

PRAIRIETOWN - A special GoFundMe has been established to help purchase a new LUCAS machine for Prairietown Volunteer Fire Department. The funds raised from the present GoFundMe will be combined with a special donation by Randy Luttrell, who credits the device and quick response of the fire department for saving his life.

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Randy Luttrell’s story started on March 31, 2021, when he woke up not feeling well. He said 911 was called to his residence and a very short time after, the Prairietown Volunteer Fire Department arrived on the scene. Randy collapsed due to a massive heart attack in his Left Anterior Descending Artery; with a 100 percent occlusion to the artery (commonly called the "Widow Maker.”).

This type of heart attack has a 6 percent survival rate outside of the hospital setting when witnessed and CPR is administered right away.

"I am so thankful for the first responders and the hospital staff that helped me that day," Randy Luttrell said. "I have a completely new appreciation for CPR and what it is capable of. I have also witnessed the LUCAS device in action during medical calls that I responded to during my career as a police officer. I have now experienced the lifesaving ability of the machine myself. I am indebted forever to those that saved my life on March 31. If I, with the help of family, friends, and the community, can help the Prairietown VFD with obtaining this life-saving device I will be honored."

CPR was administered right away by two first responders on the Prairietown Volunteer Fire Department. Alton Memorial EMS arrived on the scene a short time after CPR was started and placed me on a LUCAS Chest Compression Machine. He was shocked multiple times, with the LUCAS machine doing what it was created to do.

Ultimately, Randy Luttrell was brought back to life due to the quick CPR efforts of first responders, and the AED and the LUCAS machine. Without the quick efforts of the first responders and the LUCAS machine being on the ambulance, Randy would not have survived.

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Prairietown Fire Chief Randy Cassady said: "I'm extremely proud of my teammates who were able to beat the odds that day. I'm also extremely glad that I have been able to get to know Mr. Luttrell and his family since then. As with any fire department, a quick response, training and proper equipment are vital elements of the job. Being a rural community, response time is always working against us, so we train and try to equip ourselves as well as possible to offset response time. When the Luttrell Family first approached me with their idea of helping purchase a Lucas CPR device, I was very surprised and excited.

"It is very expensive and not something we could likely purchase anytime soon without such a generous offer of help like this. This piece of equipment will better prepare us and further aid us in our mission to provide care to those in our district, as well as our mutual aid partners in the surrounding area."

An original GoFundMe for the heart attack victim Randy Luttrell and his wife, Anita, was established and is now completed. After all the medical expenses and needed medical equipment costs, Randy and Anita have approximately $7,000 left. He said from the start whatever remained he would donate to the Prairietown Volunteer Fire Department for a LUCAS device.

Anita Luttrell, whose husband's life was saved by the Prairietown Fire Department that day in March, wrote on the fire department's social media page: "This LUCAS machine will be huge for our community. You think it won't happen to you till it does. Thanks so much to these men and women that volunteer their time to help us all out."

The LUCAS device is a chest compression device that helps lifesaving teams around the world deliver high-quality, guidelines-consisted chest compressions on sudden cardiac arrest patients in the field and on the move in the hospital.

Luttrell and others have worked extensively with the company (Stryker) that manufactures the LUCAS machine. During this process, Stryker has graciously discounted the price of a new LUCAS machine and components needed down to an extremely affordable number at $13,668. This leaves almost a gap of $7,000 in order to fulfill the desired quest of getting this valuable piece of equipment onto the Prairietown Fire Department's fire trucks.

To view the GoFundMe, please visit:

https://gf.me/v/c/jngf/help-purchase-a-lucas-machine-for-prairietown-vfd

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