Remer Ambulance’s state-of-the-art cot does all the heavy lifting.

​Contact: Diane Ammerman                                                   FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Remer Area Ambulance Service                                            January 26, 2022
(218) 244-2268
                                                                                     
  
REMER — When responding to an incident, every second counts. The top priority for emergency responders is to ensure the safety of themselves as well as bystanders, in order to prevent the situation from worsening. A new piece of equipment recently added to the Remer Area Ambulance Service (RAAS) volunteers’ main truck will help the crew uphold that priority.
 
For years, RAAS volunteers manually loaded and unloaded patients into the ambulance trucks. This was not an optimal situation for patient or volunteer safety.
 
Diane Ammerman, chief and 40-year member of the Remer Area Ambulance Service, said the crew’s new automated cot system is easy to use and is much safer.
“Prior to the Stryker Power-LOAD cot, it was really difficult,” said Ammerman. “In the early years, we had to load patients 100% manually. Later, with semi-auto loading, we still had to fold up the cot and put the patient on it, to load into the back of the ambulance. We also don't always have assistance from others at the scene—it may just be two people working the call and it could be a struggle to lift the cot.”
Now, with the push of a button, the new system supports the cot throughout the entire process. This prevents further injury to the patient—especially in an emergency situation where time is of the essence—as well as, literally, doing the heavy lifting for the EMS volunteers.
“With Sourcewell Community Match Funds, we were able to purchase the new system,” said Ammerman. “It was a godsend! I can’t even imagine not using the auto-load cot. In case the main truck with auto-load is out on a call we have a second truck, but everyone hopes they never need to use it.”
The service area of RAAS covers a resident population of 2,500—which doubles during the summer months—across a 465-square-mile area. The challenges of aiding patients in all kinds of weather and rural terrain make the power cot system a boon for area residents in need of medical treatment, as well as for RAAS volunteers.
“Thanks to partners on this project, we can do our jobs so much more effectively and safely,” said Ammerman. “That’s what it’s all about in our community—working together and doing our best.” 

 

VIDEO LINK: https://vimeo.com/667309505