Lehi Woman Praises First Responders, Raises Warning After Ambulance Equipment Failure

LEHI, Utah – A Lehi mother took to social media to praise first responders for helping her daughter, but she also raised a red flag after a piece of equipment failed during the ambulance ride to the emergency room.

On Sunday, Lehi resident Holly Hardy called 911 when her 10-year-old daughter, who suffers from a rare neurological condition, had problems breathing. She said she noticed a problem when the paramedics loaded her daughter into the ambulance.

“It’s just one of those mechanical issues where we didn’t see a problem coming and it just failed,” said Chief Jeremy Craft with the Lehi Fire Department.

Although Craft couldn’t speak to the specifics of the call because of privacy issues, he confirmed an equipment issue that’s being addressed now.

“Our inverter failed for some reason,” he said. “It’s a fairly new ambulance and it’s at our shop currently to try and figure out why it failed.”

KSL TV spoke with Holly Hardy by phone as she remained at her daughter’s bedside in the ICU Monday.

She said in this case, a power outlet wasn’t working and her ventilator machine was unable to be connected. Instead, paramedics manually provided ventilation until they got her to the hospital.

Hardy said she took to social media to share the experience – not to criticize the work of the paramedics, but to start a discussion about what equipment and resources should be made available so the situation doesn’t happen again.

“The Facebook post being shared online made it sound like the hasn’t given (the fire department) everything they need,” Craft said. “It’s my job to ask the city for what we need and honestly they have always given us everything we need.”

It’s no secret that Lehi’s population has exploded in recent years. With the growth comes a need for more resources, including additional emergency services.

“Our call volume is skyrocketing,” Craft said.

In Lehi, firefighters are also trained as paramedics. There are currently three fire stations and plans to build another station soon.

“We’re in a huge growth and we’re a pretty young department, so we’re really just trying to be cautious with where we go too quickly,” Craft said.

Currently, Lehi City ambulances don’t have ventilators on board.

“It’s because we’re not trained to a critical care paramedic (level) yet,” Craft said. “This is training that we’re looking into next year. You can do more harm than good without the proper training.”

Craft wanted everyone to know the paramedics who show up at your house on your worst day are ready and have everything they need to care for patients.

“I would let them come to my house and let them work on my kids, grandkids and wife,” Craft said. “I am that confident in them.”

Hardy said she agreed with Craft.

“I think they are the best and they did everything right,” she said. “I just want to help them and raise awareness.”

Hardy said Brinley Hardy will remain in the ICU for a few more days as she battles pneumonia.