Chief Paramedic Bill Detlor and Deputy Chief John Lindsay showed Today’s Northumberland two new ambulances recently received by Northumberland County.
Not only are the vehicles equipped with emergency blue lights, but they also have a Stryker Power Stretcher and Power Load System.
Once the patient is loaded onto the stretcher, the device lifts and lowers the patient on the stretcher with a push of a button. It even loads the patient into the ambulance with a push of a button. All without the paramedics lifting, sometimes straining their backs causing injuries.
“It’s a big reduction on the load of a paramedics back when we are caring for patients,” said Lindsay.
“We are very pleased to bring these into our service.”
Along with the two new ambulances, there is one other paramedics used to test the new equipment.
The ten other ambulances will be retrofitted over the next four to six weeks.
“I know all of our paramedics are looking forward to having them at all of the stations in Northumberland County.”
The load capacity for each stretcher that can lift a patient is 700 pounds.
“It definitely is a one person job, obviously for safety reasons we encourage two paramedics to steer it in, but once it’s locked into position it’s just a push of a button and the machine lifts itself into the ambulance.”
On one call paramedics generally lift a stretcher up to eight times and with a stretcher weighing up to 100 pounds without the patient it can cause long term injuries.
“Obviously that lift is now removed from the equation,” said Linday.
“It won’t take away the need to lift the patient onto the stretcher, but it is going to reduce those eight lifts where you’re not only lifting the patients weight, but you’re lifting the weight of the stretcher.”
Paramedics and the vehicles they use have come a long way since they use to essentially just load a person into a station wagon and take them to the hospital.
Now paramedics have all the equipment they need to properly care for a patient while transporting them to the nearest hospital.
Author: Pete Fisher
Has been a photojournalist for over 30-years and have been honoured to win numerous awards for photography and writing over the years. Best selling author for the book Highway of Heroes - True Patriot Love
