VAN BUREN, Maine — Van Buren officials recently dedicated two LUCAS devices — which help victims of cardiac arrest — to the memory of Billie Jo Skidgel, who died of cancer last summer.
Skidgel’s wife, Amanda Skidgel, who works for the town’s ambulance department, said the town and her colleagues were incredibly supportive of her and her wife throughout Billie Jo’s 18-month battle with colon cancer.
The department consists of two full-time employees, a handful of part-time employees and some drivers who also work for the Van Buren Fire Department.
“We’re a really small crew,” Skidgel said. “So the LUCAS device for us is going to be so beneficial.”
Being a rural community, she said the department has a minimum 20-minute transport time to the nearest hospital. The LUCAS device will help keep patients in a stable condition during a time when every second is critical.
“It’s just very efficient,” Skidgel said. “Instead of staying on the scene and performing CPR, we can actually apply that and get on our way to the hospital because we’re not interrupting chest compressions. So being where we are, and how far away we are, I think we’re going to see a lot of good results with it.”
The town council officially approved the purchase of the two devices, which cost roughly $23,000 each, last month. The town used money from a $119,713 Maine EMS Stabilization Grant awarded last June, which had to be spent by the end of the year.
Town Manager Luke Dyer said the funds were initially only for wage enhancement and for advanced education training for the EMS staff, but they were later opened to allow for up to $50,000 worth of equipment purchases.
And on the side of each device, “In Loving Memory of Billie-Jo Skidgel” is written.
“I sat down with Amanda after the passing of her wife,” Dyer said. “I wanted the town of Van Buren to do something in Billie Jo’s honor that would mean something to her, and that would carry on with our ambulance service and wouldn’t be in lieu of just flowers, something that would be meaningful.”
Town Council Chairman John Beaulieu read a dedication to Billie Jo on behalf of Van Buren during a Jan. 8 meeting.
“The LUCAS device will play a vital role in saving lives within our community, offering advanced life-saving capabilities that will help ensure the best possible outcome in critical situations,” he said. “We are honored to dedicate this device in the memory of Billie Jo, whose legacy will continue to make a difference in the lives of those we serve.”
Skidgel said the dedication from the town moved her to tears.
“My wife wasn’t from up here,” she said. “She wasn’t from around here. She’d only lived up here for the last five or six years. So the amount of support and love that we were shown is just incredible.”
