DATE: 05/06/2026
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Fire Department
2026-167
REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL ACTION
SUBJECT:
PURCHASE OF ELEVEN ZOLL MEDICAL CORPORATION AUTOPULSE NXT
MECHANICAL CPR DEVICES
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
This staff report asks the City Council to approve the purchase of eleven (11) Zoll AutoPulse NXT mechanical Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) devices to replace existing end-of-life equipment that will no longer be supported by the manufacturer.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
That the City Council:
a. Approve the purchase of 11 Zoll AutoPulse NXT Mechanical CPR Devices from Zoll Medical Corporation in the amount of $267,621.07.
b. Authorize the City Manager, or his designee, to issue a purchase order to Zoll Medical Corporation in the amount of $267,621.07.
c. Make a determination under Corona Municipal Code Section 3.08.125(B) “Competitive bidding already completed.”
BACKGROUND & HISTORY:
In 2019, the City Council approved the purchase of Zoll AutoPulse mechanical CPR devices to enhance the delivery of high-quality CPR and improve patient outcomes during sudden cardiac arrest events. The funds supporting this purchase were contractually provided through the Riverside County EMS system. Each month, the EMS Agency assesses late-response penalties to American Medical Response (AMR) in accordance with the AMR Ambulance Agreement No. 15-097. These fees are subsequently distributed to the Cities on an annual basis. Pursuant to the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for Joint Monitoring of Ambulance Services, all monies collected by the Cities under the terms of the MOU must be utilized exclusively for EMS system enhancements.
Since that time, the Fire Department has utilized these devices as part of its advanced life support system. The manufacturer has now designated the existing AutoPulse devices as end-of-life and will discontinue support and availability of replacement parts and consumables by December 2027. Continued reliance on unsupported equipment presents operational and maintenance challenges and limits the Department’s ability to provide consistent, reliable service.
The proposed purchase will replace the existing devices with the next-generation AutoPulse NXT platform to maintain operational readiness and continuity of care.
ANALYSIS:
Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) requires immediate, high-quality CPR to maintain perfusion to vital organs. While manual CPR remains the standard of care, it is subject to variability due to provider fatigue, environmental limitations, and challenges associated with maintaining consistent compressions during patient movement and transport.
Mechanical CPR devices are recommended in situations where high-quality manual compressions are difficult to maintain or may pose a risk to provider safety. These situations include patient transport, confined spaces, prolonged resuscitation efforts, and limited personnel environments.
The Zoll AutoPulse NXT is a non-invasive cardiac support device that utilizes a loaddistributing band to provide circumferential chest compressions, compressing the entire thoracic cavity rather than applying force solely to the sternum. This technology has been shown to improve blood flow and provide more consistent perfusion compared to manual CPR (Exhibit 3).
Operational benefits of the AutoPulse NXT include:
Continuous CPR during patient movement and ambulance transport Reduced provider fatigue and improved consistency of compressions Increased provider safety by minimizing the need for personnel to stand unsecured during transport
Freeing personnel to focus on other advanced life support interventions Staff finds that an exception to competitive bidding is justified for this purchase under Corona Municipal Code (“CMC”) Section 3.08.125(B). This section permits an exception when the Purchasing Agent and the authorized contracting party, with approval from the City Manager, determine that competitive bidding has already been completed:
(1) A competitive bid procedure has been conducted by another public agency including, but not limited to, another local agency, the state through the California Multiple Award Schedule (CMAS), the federal government through the General Services Administration (GSA), the U.S. Communities Government Purchasing Alliance, or the Western States Contracting Alliance (WSCA); and
(2) The price to the city is equal to or better than the price to that public agency. The proposed purchase will be made utilizing a California Multiple Award Schedule (CMAS) cooperative purchasing contract with a total discount of $32,047.66 (11.52% of bill), which provides competitively bid pricing that meets the City’s procurement requirements.
Additionally, no third-party vendors are authorized to sell or service the equipment, and no equivalent alternative products exist that provide the same functionality. As such, a competitive bidding process would not yield comparable products or provide a meaningful competitive advantage to the City.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
Funding for the recommended actions is available in the Emergency Medical Services Division’s operating budget in the Fire Department within the EMS Systems Enhancements Fund 229.
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS:
This action is exempt pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3) of the Guidelines for the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), which states that a project is exempt from CEQA if the activity is covered by the common sense exemption that CEQA applies only to projects that have the potential for causing a significant effect on the environment. Where it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may have a significant effect on the environment, the activity is not subject to CEQA. This action involves the purchase of CPR devices and there is no possibility that approving this project will have a significant effect on the environment. Therefore, no environmental analysis is required.
PREPARED BY: CHRIS DOUGLAS, FIRE CAPTAIN
REVIEWED BY: BRIAN YOUNG, FIRE CHIEF
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Exhibit 1 – Zoll AutoPulse NXT Quote
2. Exhibit 2 – Manufacturer Brochure
3. Exhibit 3 – Westfall M, et al. Study (Crit Care Med. 2013)