Supervisors authorize purchase of additional ZOLL cardiac equipment for SDCRFA

The San Diego County Regional Fire Authority will be acquiring additional ZOLL Medical Corporation cardiac monitors and accessories.

The San Diego County Board of Supervisors members are also the board members of the county fire authority, and the county supervisors voted 5-0, May 21, to authorize the director of the county’s Department of Purchasing and Contracting to enter into negotiations with ZOLL Medical Corporation for the procurement of ZOLL equipment and to award a contract upon determination of a fair and reasonable price and successful negotiations. The contract would be for a one-year period with four additional option years and an extra six months if needed. The supervisors’ action also waived the competitive procurement requirement to allow for the sole-source contract.

During June’s approval of the county’s 2018-2019 budget, the county board of supervisors budgeted $193,000 for the equipment, accessories and service. The funding is expected to cover $150,000 for equipment, $35,000 for accessories and $8,000 for service. The specific number of cardiac monitors to be purchased will depend on the pricing ZOLL offers the county, but the SDCRFA is expected to acquire approximately five additional monitors along with accessories. SDCRFA staff along with California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection staff based at SDCRFA stations currently have 25 cardiac monitors and 43 ZOLL automated external defibrillators at stations throughout the county. The ZOLL cardiac monitor has a robust set of communication devices which provide maximum compatibility with electronic patient care reporting systems including the county’s ImageTrend system. The ZOLL monitor is also compatible with the defibrillation pads used by SDCRFA and Cal Fire personnel. The ZOLL monitor is also lighter and more durable than other cardiac monitors, and built-in diagnostic algorithms provide capabilities which are the most reliable for determining myocardial infarction.