In conjunction with helping them to identify and store victims’ remains, the portable morgue unit (DPMU) allows them to store remains off-site away from the medical examiner’s facility. 13 other counties in the surrounding area will also be able to utilize the unit should they need it, which was paid for with federal grant money. Please click the link here to view a video of this story.

Click here to learn more about Penn Care’s Disaster Response Division.

DPMU is an acronym for Disaster Portable Morgue Unit

Details at the show were hush, hush – however, a visit to Ford’s website has yielded that this coming year’s Transit will come in four different body styles: van, wagon, chassis cab, and cutaway.

It can also be built to spec with adjust roof heights and extended wheelbases.

The 2014 Transit model will come with a 3.5L twin turbo charged EcoBoost  V6 motor. Direct injection and turbo charging technology spray fuel mist directly into each cylinder unlike conventional port fuel injection that sprays into the intake system. This equates to impressive torque in the early RPM range, and trumps the dinky 4 speed 2.0L engine offered in all of the 2013 Ford Transit models. This is perfect for private EMS agencies looking for better fuel efficiency and some pep in their emergency rescue vehicle.

What’s more is that Ford knows they have something special on their hands. Check out their website to play with their vehicle combinator and  see all that the new model might have to offer you. If you’re looking for a chassis with the right payload size (8,600 to 10,360 GVWR depending on body style), a sleek look, and customizable powertrain configurations, then look no further than the 2014 Ford Transit. It promises best in class maneuverability to do the jobs that YOUR EMS agency wants and needs.

This information is vital to anyone contemplating an ambulance purchase in the next year.  While this looks like it may be attempting to compete with the Sprinter market, it will likely come at an increased cost to the ambulance industry. Of course, there will be some cost savings on purchasing a vehicle with higher headroom from Ford, however, considering the changes, you should plan for higher up front costs.  We have no information yet on the ambulance conversion costs yet but will keep you updated if you subscribe to our e-mail newsletter.

Contact us today for more details or leave a comment below to discuss the 2014 Ford Transit as an ambulance chassis!

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Christmas Tree Fire Safety

“…there’s no harm in hoping for the best as long as you’re prepared for the worst.” – Stephen King

Incident Command

• TRAILERS
• POD BOXES
• COMMAND VESTS
• FLAG KITS
• WHITE ERASE BOARDS
• HICS/ICS POD BOX
• MEGAPHONE
• LIGHTING (EX.  FLOOD LIGHTS, WOBBLE LIGHTS)
• TRIAGE TAPE
• TARPS
• GENERATORS
• SHELTER (INCLUDING HVAC AND LIGHTING)
• RIOT SHIELDS
• RAPID RESPONSE KITS

Hazmat Equipment

• TYVEK SUITS
• CHEMICAL BOOTS AND BOOT LINERS
• PROTECTIVE GLOVES
• COVERALLS
• BIOHAZARD BAGS

Respirators and Accessories

• HOODS AND CANISTERS
• N95 MASKS

Decontamination Equipment

• DECON SHOWERS
• DECON SYSTEMS
• WASTEWATER BARREL
• COLLECTION POOLS
• PUMPS AND HOSES
• DECON ACCESSORIES

Medical Surge Equipment

• MEDICAL SURGE SHELTERS
• HVAC
• POTABLE WATER
• MODS AND PODS (PATIENT CARE PREPACKED SUPPLIES)
• MEDICAL REFRIGERATORS
• TRAILERS
• PPE EQUIPMENT
• GLOVES
• IMMOBILIZATION DEVICES AND PATIENT TRANSPORT
• TRAUMA KITS
• OXYGEN CYLINDERS
• OXYGEN DELIVERY SYSTEMS
• TRIAGE VESTS

Fatality Management and Morgue Equipment

• MOBILE MORGUES
• DPMU
• CADAVER RACKS
• MERC SYSTEM
• TRIAGE TAGS
• BODY BAGS
• MORTUARY LIFTS
• AUTOPSY EQUIPMENT AND SOFTWARE

Evacuation Equipment

• EVACUATION STAIR CHAIRS
• HOVER JACK AND HOVER MATT (BARIATRIC TRANSPORT)
• INFLATABLE CAR SEATS
• PEDI-MATE
• STRETCHERS AND COTS (REEVES, SCOOP AND TRANSPORT COTS)

Misc Equipment

• FLOOD SAX
• MOPS
• DUST PANS
• LAUNDRY POWDER
• PUSHBROOMS
• 5 GAL. BUCKETS
• WASH BINS
• MAGLITES
• HALOGEN CLAMP LIGHTS
• CLAW HAMMER
• STERILE SPONGES
• EMERGENCY TRIPOD LIGHTS
• EXTENSION CORDS
• TOTES
• GLOVES
• HAND TRUCK
• CARGO TRAILERS
• TOOLS
• COOLERS
• HEATERS
• FANS

Don’t see something on this list that you’d like to add? Please leave us a comment below and we’ll be sure it makes the list!

Choosing the right medical backboard is an important decision

There are many different types of medical backboards today. They come equipped with cots, stair chairs and stretchers. There is a specific techniques required to successfully transfer the patients to a medical backboard. Following these standards in technique helps minimize the damage caused by the injury and reduce that person’s pain to a certain extent. Following acceptable procedure brings safety and comfort to the patient. Successfully transferring a patient is often the first step in providing quality treatment.

The first step is to slip the backboard under the patient before the transferring process. Then gently roll the patient onto his/her side and the place the board under beneath them. Then assist the patient in rolling back onto his or her own weight so that the backboard lies three quarters under their back. Then lock the wheels of the gurney into a secured position before placing the patient on it.

A medical backboard has some unique characteristics that help assist patients during a tricky situation. It is small enough to fit on the seat of a wheelchair or balance on the rim of a toilet. The design is sturdy, flat and stable so that the patient will not find any difficulties while using it. This provides mobility to the medical board in an effective way. Many medical backboards allow patients to slide along the board; this increases personal mobility by allowing patients to set up their own medical backboards and move themselves around unassisted.

The medical backboards used by emergency medical services are more properly known as backboards or long spine boards. These boards are somewhat larger than a human body, and they are designed to totally immobilize patients with suspected spinal injuries. Patients are strapped to the backboard on site and kept on the backboard as they are transported. Backboards are usually x-ray transparent so that patients can be immobilized during x-ray to check for spinal injuries before the backboard is removed. They consist of stronger materials including wood, plastic and metal. It is critical that emergency medical personnel select ideal medical boards to use during an emergency in order to assist the injured in the most protective and convenient manner.

The NRB ensures that the person is receiving the proper amount of oxygen. No matter what the situation, a functional oxygen mask is always a necessity. If you want to be sure that the people under your care receive the best, you must make sure the mask is functional, made out of quality materials, and fits comfortably. When purchasing a NRB, you need to make sure you make the right decision for both yourself and the lives you will be saving.

A non rebreather oxygen mask is useful in providing optimum amount of oxygen to patients in need.

First responders commonly use NRB masks to help patients struggling to breathe. The NBR takes out the unnecessary chemicals in the air that the person is exhaling without adding it to what they are inhaling. This allows them to receive pure oxygen directly to their lungs. To ensure the results of the NBR are best, you need to use a quality mask. What mask they are using makes a huge difference in how much oxygen is deliverable to their system. With several different types, you want to be sure that your decision is the right one. The decision to purchase a quality mask can mean the difference between life and death.

You always need to think about how the mask will be used. While, for the most part, it is straight forward, you must consider the patients and how you plan to use it. You cannot make the right decision without first looking at their purposes. The needs of your patients and your emergency operations change what you need in a product. This means not everything out there will work for you. When you have this information, you can begin looking at products. Examine what each offers and if they fit your patients and business. This research will turn into the best results possible when in use.

Your budget can change everything, of course. When you know how much you are willing to pay per item, you know what to look at. You do not want to waste your time finding something great only to find out it is out of your price range, not when people are depending on you. Before you even begin the search for NRBs, find out the maximum price you are willing to pay per item, and how many of them you need.

Saving a life requires all of the right equipment. Using a non rebreather mask may save quite a few lives, but to ensure the safety of as many individuals as possible, you are still going to need to make sure they are built with quality in mind. Doing adequate research, understanding your needs, and informing yourself can save lives.

With the HoverJack, you can safely lift these patients without straining your back. This saves everyone from any possibly injury. This product will lift the person to bed height, giving you the ability to transfer them to a stretcher or their bed with ease. If they have fallen somewhere further away from where they should be, you can use the HoverMatt to transport them from one spot to another. There is no more injuring your back, not with these products available to you.

Sometimes, lifting a person might just be too difficult but you cannot let them lie there. Instead of causing them or you injury, you can turn to a reliable and trusted product to get them to where they need to be. The HoverJack lifts them up to the perfect height, giving you the ability to transfer them to another surface. If you find that they are far from where they should be, in a place where you cannot use this item, you can move them with the HoverMatt. Once moved to where they should be, you can lift them easily and quickly. With just air and this product, you are saving a patient without risking injury to your own back, no matter where they need to be, what they weigh, or whatever else might have gotten in the way before.

When injured, it is necessary to move the patient as quickly and safely as possible. After an initial inspection for anything wrong, you want to get in and move them to a stretcher right away. If they weigh quite a bit or you fear injury to yourself while saving them, or if there is something getting in the way of lifting them without a problem, you need another option. This item is available to lift the patient to stretcher height, taking stress out of physically lifting them from the floor. There is no need to hurt yourself when you have this to assist you.

If they need returned back to bed, you need to do the job quickly and without issue. This gives you the opportunity to lift them high enough without any work on your end, saving your back from any problems. Once this is at the desired height, transferring is easy. You can have them in the spot they should be without the risks you once had to face.

Lifting a patient once exposed you to possible back and other physical injuries, making work difficult. The HoverJack takes the stress out of the job by lifting them to the necessary height. If you need to move them from another spot, you can do so with the HoverMatt. You do not have to injure yourself any longer, regardless of the size of the patient. Use the HoverMatt and HoverJack to get them where they need to be.

The HoverMatt device take the stress out of the job of lifting heavy individuals, saving your back and the lives of many people. They give you the opportunity to transfer a patient who is injured or unable to move easily – something needed when you are on a lift team. When combined with a HoverJack, the workers are saving their bodies and the lives of everyone who depends on them.

The HoverMatt is designed to help medical personnel safely lift to transport larger patients who are positioned in more challenging situations.

Lifting fallen patients is a necessity. They cannot remain on the floor, especially if injured, so you need a way to put them back onto their bed or in a stretcher. Doing this may sometimes cause damage, though. This applies to both the patient and the lifter, too. When lifting the person, it may be a difficult job if they weigh quite a bit. In order to protect everyone involved and allow them to do their job better, lifters need the right equipment. The HoverMatt is a widely accepted and trusted source for safe and reliable lifting of patients. These patients become transferable to another surface more easily. That ease and lost stress saves workers from back injuries and gives them the ability to save a life faster, helping everyone involved.

Fallen patients who are unable to lift themselves can turn ugly quickly. This might turn into a more serious problem, possibly putting their life at risk. This product gives you the ability to move them to where they need to be quickly. If you need to take them elsewhere on a stretcher, you can move them to a HoverJack, which can then put them on the stretcher. This ease makes the job better and keeps the patients as safe as possible. With the help of the HoverJack, there is less strain and injury for everyone, turning into better results overall.

The HoverMatt helps if the patient has fallen to the floor and is unable to go back into their bed. You can put them on it and transfer them to the HoverJack, putting them onto the bed afterwards. Not all patients are capable of moving by themselves and they require your assistance, a necessary job to ensure their safety. The HoverMatt and HoverJack help keep both the trained professional and patient safe and well.

Patients who are unable to move or are injured can quickly deteriorate. Whether it is a bed or stretcher, lifters take them to where they need to be, saving their lives in the process. Larger and injured patients may need extra help to avoid injury. Instead of breaking your own back or harming the patient, you can use the HoverMatt to transfer them to the HoverJack safely, which can then put them on the necessary, permanent surface needed to sustain their weight.

A head immobilizer gives you the chance to keep them safe and without extra, or worsened injuries. No matter the job you are in that requires this device, you always want a quality and useful product. With so many out there, you want to make sure you choose the best product possible. There are several things to consider when on the search, of course. Intended use, features, comfort, and price are a few of the deciding factors when on the market, things you cannot ignore. To ensure the total safety of a person, the product must be exactly what they need. When you are buying one, know what you need.

Quality head immobilizers are essential to preventing further injury.

The biggest thing to consider is for the effectiveness of your job, of course. When buying the item, what it will be doing is the most important. Look at the needs of the people and job so that you have an idea of what the item should be capable of doing. This knowledge will let you know what will work best and what will not work at all. This is not only about wasting money on a useless product, though. A working product saves lives, not just money. Ensuring the safety of the people who depend on you starts by having the right equipment.

There are other things to take into consideration as well. How you can make the experience better overall and increase the chances of the person remaining safe matter. See what certain items have to offer that others do not. If you want more than basic, know what will work for the people you are saving and how to give them more. These extras can sometimes raise the chances of a person living and being safer, things you want when trying to save them.

The happiness and comfort of the person matter, too. While they may not be as big as their safety, you still want to consider how it will help them feel a little better. Plenty of products out there give you everything in a comfortable package; you just have to remain on the lookout for those that do.

While you may find something you love and will do the job perfectly, that may all be a waste if you cannot afford it. Examine your budget and the number of head immobilizers you need before deciding what to buy. When you know how much you plan to spend per item, you can look at which products will fit into your budget.

When your job is to save lives, you need the best equipment by your side. If you are in the market for a head immobilizer, you have quite a few things to consider before buying; understand the purpose of the device and understand why it makes your job better or easier. Know the people you are saving and your price. With knowledge, you can make the best decision for yourself and the people who depend on you.

Choosing the right oxygen regulator can mean the difference between life and death.

In emergencies, it is always best to go with a product that is high in quality, especially when it comes to something as important as being able to release oxygen. This applies to first responders, medical staff and those who need a portable supply of oxygen. It is important to have a device that measures oxygen accurately in order to save time and money. Not having the right amount of oxygen means the difference between life and death.

It is important to get a device that is simple to read and will not fail the user. Above all, it should be long lasting. The moment one suspects that an airflow device is defective it should be discarded immediately. Identifying defective equipment is a crucial part in helping to save lives. First responders must always be aware of their equipment and know where to get quick replacements when needed.

The right amount of flow is crucial in getting a device that regulates oxygen. Getting too much or too little oxygen is disastrous for those who need more air to breathe. Being able to control airflow in an easy, consistent manner is possible with a quality airflow device. The best airflow devices consist of indestructible materials, such as brass or metal. It is always important to have a device that is durable when it comes to controlling airflow. Airflow sensors come in all kinds of shapes and sizes depending on its purpose. Regardless of the size or shape, the sensor should be easily readable to the user. First responders, as well as civilians requiring supplemental oxygen should have quality air sensors that will not fail them in any situation. Not having a good airflow sensor can be dangerous.

Quality oxygen regulators help save lives by providing steady, consistent levels of oxygen to patients in need. Oxygen is so critical to our well-being that it only makes sense to ensure only the best quality in devices that supply this precious gas to those in immediate medical need.