Power Stretchers - Who's not using em?

[Iambatman]

does your service use power stretchers? Who and where areya located?

Just trying to take an informal poll

 

[Jim37F]

Right before I left McCormick Ambulance in LA they were switching over, goal of 100% power load and power stretchers (Strykers).

I think everyone had the power gurneys, and all the new ambulances had the load system, but still a few older rigs without, but from what I've seen on Facebook, they've been trying to have a new rig for every unit.

Here in Honolulu, EMS still has manual gurneys, but they're the Fernos with collapsible legs so you just kinda push them straight into the unit.

Local AMR op has power Strykers. Idk if they're at 100% yet, but only a few units have the load system as well (they like the Sprinter vans here).

Fed Fire has 100% Stryker power load and power gurneys though.

 

[Tigger]

Can't think of any paid services around here that don't have them. Our backup to the backup has a manual cot but even that's going away in the next month.

 

[Jn1232th]

Company I’m at still has manual but believe switching to power soon hopefully haha so much easier but will say the manual is much lighter loading

 

[NomadicMedic]

All power. No manual litters left.

 

[gotbeerz001]

All power. No manual litters left.

Auto loaders in our County now.

 

[DrParasite]

does your service use power stretchers? Who and where areya located?

Just for clarification: are you talking about power stretchers, or self loading power stretchers?

in my current county of residence in NC, they all have power stretchers. the two non-profits have self loading systems, while the county has a mix of self-loading and not.

When I was up in Jersey (and this is maybe 5 years ago), the majority of hospital based 911 services didn't have power stretchers, but that might have changed since i left.

 

[Never2Old]

Manual Strykers in all our rigs ... no money for Power Assist or Load.

 

[Iambatman]

Just for clarification: are you talking about power stretchers, or self loading power stretchers?

in my current county of residence in NC, they all have power stretchers. the two non-profits have self loading systems, while the county has a mix of self-loading and not.

When I was up in Jersey (and this is maybe 5 years ago), the majority of hospital based 911 services didn't have power stretchers, but that might have changed since i left.

Either or; however i have noticed lots of places have the entire loading system

 

[johnrsemt]

All manual still at FT federal job.
PT job has power cots, but manual loading.

 

[PotatoMedic]

My personal opinion. No power gurney without power loader.

 

[Jim37F]

My personal opinion. No power gurney without power loader.

Back at my last ambulance job, we got the power gurneys a few months before the new ambulance with the loader.
Our very first call after getting the power gurneys (w/out loader?) A bariatric patient of course. Lifting him and the extra weight of the gurneys wasn't very fun.

Although to be fair, both providers can help lift the end of the gurneys instead of one lifting, one collapsing the legs, but yeah, given an ambulance without a power load, I'd almost rather have a manual Ferno where the legs automatically fold up just pushing it in lol.

 

[Tigger]

My personal opinion. No power gurney without power loader.

I'd rather be able to lift with two people into the ambulance and not have to lift the cot to change height...

Also @Jim37F, with those Ferno cots, can you adjust the height you put the patient on it or is it either up, down, or chair?

 

[Jim37F]

Also @Jim37F, with those Ferno cots, can you adjust the height you put the patient on it or is it either up, down, or chair?

The ones I've used in Glendale, seen LAFD use, and in use by our EMS here are fixed height. All the way or all the way down, or chair mode.

Which is definitely their biggest weakness.

I do like the chair mode is easier to get in/out of houses, anecdotally I feel like there's less lifting/carrying patients out to the gurney, as (anecdotally again) it seemed we left the Strykers outside more often).

I suppose a powered version that could adjust in height like the Strykers, and collapse to a more compact chair mode to get in/out of tight places, and then power lift/load into the ambo would be the best of both worlds. Though I'd hate to see the price tag (and hate to finagle the thing if/when the batteries run out in the middle of a call lol)

 

[NirvanaMonkey]

Honolulu EMS doesn't have power yet! Very sad , so underfunded - 20 ambulances for 1,000,000 people!

 

[hometownmedic5]

My company started deploying them in all new ambulance, and told us they were retrofitting all ambulances in the fleet during PM.

When that proved to be a lie, they walked it back to all ambulances under xxx miles.

When that proved to be a lie, they claimed there were supply chain problems.

When that proved to be a lie, they stopped talking about power stretcherS all together.

In November, my truck will be 3/4s of the way through it’s projected service life on it’s municipal contract. Maybe they retrofit it anyway, as it will have a few more years of retail service ahead of it, but I would be surprised, shocked really, if I walk into my station and see a power stretcher in the back.

No power loads though.

 

[Fastfrankie19151]

All our trucks have power stretchers the New one coming has the power load and then we will switch the rest over at around 20k plus each.

 

[Tigger]

In a move I’d not thought I’d see, Denver Health Paramedics finally retired their fleet of Ferno 35As for Stryker power cots, @Ensihoitaja are there loaders as well?

 

[Fastfrankie19151]

Well the stretchers are definitely cheaper then a workman’s compensation complaint for back injuries

 

[Ensihoitaja]

In a move I’d not thought I’d see, Denver Health Paramedics finally retired their fleet of Ferno 35As for Stryker power cots, @Ensihoitaja are there loaders as well?

Yes, we finally moved into the early 21st century! As of 3 weeks ago, every ambulance has a PowerPro pram and the PowerLoad.