The Curry County Road Department is responsible for maintaining about 1,355 miles of roads in eastern New Mexico. With a tight budget and a small team, the department does extraordinary work keeping roadways safe throughout the county.
Pattern Energy recently donated six jump bags with AED systems to the CCRD to enhance their crews’ capacity to handle emergencies they encounter in the field.
The CCRD at work
Curry County is home to around 50,000 people, the majority of whom live in the town of Clovis. Severe weather conditions are a common issue in the county, which experiences snowstorms in winter and flash flooding in the rainy season.
When accidents happen in Curry County, the CCRD is often the first emergency response team on the scene. Having the right equipment on hand can save precious minutes when an individual is in crisis. Such capabilities mean the most when extra help is far away. When a crew encounters an emergency at 3 a.m. in the midst of a major snowstorm, they must rely on the tools they have in their vehicles.
Expanding life-saving capabilities
The jump bags are self-contained emergency first aid kits that enhance the CCRD’s ability to save lives.
Each jump bag contains advanced medical equipment designed to be used by personnel who are trained on the system.
The main component of each jump bag is the AED, or automated external defibrillator. When someone’s heart stops, this can get it beating again when used by someone trained on its operation.
In order to use the AED, CCRD staff were trained on using the included emergency instruction device, which provides both audio and visual instructions with easy-to-understand color-coded panels that correspond with different packets in the Jump Bags.
Equipped, trained, and ready
Emergency response is just one part of the CCRD’s work. Their work also includes patching potholes, building new roads, controlling litter, snow removal, and clearing debris. Because they are often the first on the scene of an incident, CCRD stays ready.
The new jump bags will be distributed across the CCRD’s facilities to optimize their availability in the event of an emergency. One bag will be kept in each of the three CCRD maintenance barns, in Clovis, Broadview, and Melrose. The other two bags will become part of the standard kit carried in the department’s supervisor and superintendent trucks.
Distributing the bags enhances the department’s capacity to address health emergencies and the moment. Pattern is grateful for the work the CCRD does and pleased to have the opportunity to help the CCRD serve Curry County.