Monday, July 19, 2010
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The Columbus fire department is considering buying stretchers to carry morbidly obese people who weigh up to 1,000 pounds.
The city’s fire division already has 18 stretchers that hold patients who weigh up to 650 pounds, but paramedics have to carry people who weigh more than that about twice a month.
Medics currently use a tarp to transport people who weigh more than 650 pounds.
The bigger stretchers include a hydraulic system to move up and down and cost about $10,000 each. That’s double the cost of their 650-pound capacity counterparts. The larger models also require that ambulances be retrofitted to accommodate them, which costs $6,000.