The Washington City Council discussed the purchase of a Lund University Cardiopulmonary Assist System (LUCAS device) for the EMS at their meeting on Tuesday. Washington Fire Chief Brendan DeLong explains the device, “We have been trying to acquire a LUCAS automatic CPR Device for a long time, and they are quite expensive as you see nineteen thousand and some dollars in change. For all of you that are not familiar with this machine, it performs automated CPR. So just like a responder would, you strap it on their chest, it pushes down and it performs that. So that’s huge, because once you start CPR you don’t stop it until someone declares them deceased. That can be awhile and that can be very taxing on our responders.”  The Fire Department applied for a grant that will fund the majority of the cost, with the Fireman’s Association utilizing pancake day funds to cover the rest of the cost. Council approved the purchase of the LUCAS device unanimously.