Ambulance service receives grant for power cot

The Union County Board of Commissioners, in conjunction with the Union County Ambulance Service, announce the addition of a new Stryker Power Cot to the ambulance service.

Union County government has partnered with the Illinois Counties Risk Management Trust, ICRMT, to help manage the insurance needs of the local government.

These individuals have been working with the local government to help reduce the incidents of on the job injuries with the local EMS staff.

Union County Ambulance Service director Grant Capel submitted a proposal to the risk management services group, also known as IPMG, and secured a 50 percent matching grant in the amount of $7,472.58 to help with the purchase of the new equipment for the ambulance service.

Capel said the advantages of this new generation of equipment is that it allows the staff to raise and lower a patient to the proper height for transport with the touch of a button, rather than the previous method, which was lifting the weight of the cot and the patient.

This generation of electric and hydraulic cots allows as much as 700 pounds to be lifted safely while reducing the risk of injury to the staff.

Additional features allow for the safe transport of cardiac monitors that often accompany the patient, and accessories such as an IV pole as well as an oxygen bottle holder, which helps to secure necessary equipment to the stretcher, helping leave the hands of the staff free to manage the movement of the cot.

An increased surface area on this particular stretcher helps with the management of larger patients helping to insure safe and more secure transport.

Capel said that the goal of Union County Ambulance has been to transition to more technologically advanced equipment such as the power cots and stair chairs with tracks which enable staff to remove patients from restricted areas of the home more safely, while reducing the risk of injuries to the EMS staff.

Capel and the Union County Board of Commissioners are working to help lower the incidents of on the job injuries and provide better service to the citizens. Union County Ambulance is a full time paramedic, advanced life support service.