Alachua County Fire Rescue announced the installation of five Stryker Power Load systems in the department’s critical care trucks. This rescue equipment enhances the safety of both EMS providers and patients by hydraulically lifting patients up to the level of the transport. The providers will still manually move the patients into and out of the patient care compartment.

This rescue equipment will be instrumental in reducing workplace injuries and fatigue to emergency personnel who must otherwise physically lift the entire weight of the patient and stretcher before loading into the truck. Following a user demonstration, EMT Driver Elizabeth Duenas states that she is looking forward to utilizing the new Power Load systems. “The equipment will be extremely helpful, especially when it’s only a two-person team getting a patient in and out,” she says. “It prevents us from suffering back pain every night.”

The systems can safely accommodate up to 870 pounds of weight, including the patient cot and any additional equipment such as monitors and oxygen tanks. They meet SAE J30 27 dynamic crash test standards and additionally minimize the risk of patient drops by providing continual support until the wheels are on the ground.

Assistant Fire Chief Michael Cowart wishes to thank the Fire Chief and Board of County Commissioners for investing into this equipment to keep our teams and patients safer while helping with employee longevity. For more information on the Stryker Power Load systems or their recent installations, please contact Chief Cowart at 352-562-6550. 

The Metro West Fire Protection District will be asking voters in April to approve a $25 million bond issue to fund facility improvements as well as the purchase of new apparatus and equipment, reports myleaderpaper.com. Proposition Service needs a 4/7th majority to pass.

If approved, no tax increase would be required. However, the district’s bond debt would be extended for 10 years, the report says.

If the issue is not approved, the district’s tax rate would fall from 98.26 cents per $100 of assessed evaluation to 92.16 cents, according to the report.

If the proposition fails, the district likely will approach the voters again.

Officials say similar bond issues were approved in 2003 and 2013, and some of those are close to being repaid. The money generated by the bond issue will be spent on fire station renovations, and firetruck, ambulance, and equipment and SCBA replacements.

Officials add that it will cost about $850,000 to replace an engine and somewhere between $1.3 million to $1.6 million to replace a ladder truck.

Metro West Fire has five stations.

As Dare County (NC) EMS continues to experience a significant increase in calls—in 2021, the company responded to 9,461 calls, a 15% year-over-year increase—the county has taken steps to lessen the burden.

This includes a $47 million EMS project, of which the county’s contribution is approximately $28 million, with the remainder funded by the municipalities and other partners. It involves remodeling the existing and outdated facilities and constructing brand-new stations in several critical locations.

“In December 2021, Dare County finalized the purchase of property in Kill Devil Hills directly to the south of the fire department where a brand new EMS station will be constructed which will provide service to one of the busiest parts of Dare County,” the county writes in the outline of the plan.

The county has eight EMS stations and the MedFlight helicopter hangar at Dare County Airport.

“Our current facilities have served us well, but the aging process has caught up to the facilities,” Dare County EMS Director Jennie Collins said in the plan details. “Renovated or new stations will address the needs of our diverse workforce and help us meet the increasing service demands on our organization.”

More information about the project can be found in the outline.

Fort Garry Fire Trucks—North River (NY) Volunteer Fire Company pumper-tanker. Freightliner M2 112 cab and chassis; Cummins L9 450-hp engine; Hale Qmax 1,500-gpm pump; 2,000-gallon polypropylene water tank. Dealer: Larry Gates and Dan McAllister, Vander Molen Fire Apparatus Sales and Service, Syracuse, NY.

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