EVERETT — Everett Fire Department paramedics have three new gurneys to help ferry sick and injured people to the hospital.
The new gurneys replace aging stretchers that have been used about 10,000 times each during the past six years, said Brian Zelmer, the division chief of emergency medical services for Everett Fire.
“They were breaking and they weren’t heavy-duty like these (new) ones we desperately needed,” he said.
A $7,500 grant from the Medic One Foundation helped pay for the gurneys. Everett fire kicked in about $4,000 more.
The foundation is a privately funded nonprofit that helps support emergency medical providers in Snohomish, King and Kitsap counties.
The new gurneys, which have been in use since the beginning of the year, are wider and should be more comfortable for patients, Zelmer said. They’re heavier duty and are rated to carry up to 700 pounds.
“It also reduces the injury factor for our guys,” he said.
The gurneys are ergonomically designed to make it easier for the paramedics. One paramedic can push a loaded gurney into the back of an ambulance, he said. The old gurneys typically required at least two people.
Reporter Jackson Holtz: 425-339-3437 or jholtz@heraldnet.com.
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