CORNWALL, Ontario – The Cornwall and SDG Paramedics Service unveiled two new ambulances on Friday, Dec. 14, 2018 that come with two new features that promise to increase the safety of paramedics and patients.
These two new ambulances, and every ambulance to be purchased going forward will have a new Stryker Power-Load System and new blue emergency lighting systems on the front and back.
The new power lift system lifts the ambulance stretcher and the patient into the ambulance and locks it in place without effort from the paramedics.
“This is a new safety system for paramedics and patients,” said Bill Lister, Chief of Cornwall and SDG Paramedics. “Until now, the paramedics had to lift all of the weight.”
Lister explained that the stretcher weighs 100 pounds, and that their average patient weighs 190 pounds, but that the new power-load system can lift up to 700 pounds.
The new power-load system will reduce the annual lifting load of paramedics by over 10 million pounds a year.
The new lighting system on the ambulances replaces the traditional red-white emergency lights on the front and back of the vehicle with a red-blue combo.
“Many studies have shown that the blue lights are more noticeable and effective in difficult weather situations like fog, rain and snow,” said Lister.
The Stryker Power-Load System costs $27,000 each and the new emergency lighting system will cost $600 each. Right now, only the two newest ambulances are equipped with these systems. Cornwall and SDG Paramedics replace an ambulance every 54 months and their goal is to have their entire fleet of 14 ambulances equipped with these systems within four years.
