Delisle and District first responders have another device at their disposal to assist those in need after receiving a Stair Chair, during a presentation at the Delisle Fire Hall on June 15.
A Stair Chair can be used in emergency evacuation and patient transport, to safely and easily move a patient up and down a flight of stairs.
The $3,500 Stair Chair was provided by the Delisle and District Health Council, after receiving donations from the rural municipalities the Delisle and District Fire Department services, along with the Town of Delisle and the Village of Vanscoy.
Having the Stair Chair in the community and area will allow the first responders to address specific calls in a timely manner.
“We’ve ran in to situations where we needed a device like that and we didn’t have it . So we end up calling (Saskatoon) to bring a chair out for us, but because it’s considered a non-emergency (for a lift assist) we may have to wait up to two-and-half hours for them to come out,” said Delisle and District Fire Chief Mike Given.
Not all Medavie ambulances carry a Stair Chair so that is why the wait times can be so long.
Since the fire department does cover such a big area, calls involving a Stair Chair will come up more often then not, and Given said that it is a
“godsend” to have a device like this available when needed.
Not only is the Stair Chair for the respective patient’s benefit but it also makes the first responders’ job a lot easier if the patient needs a lift assist or help being moved.
“The chair is rated for 500 pounds, so if they have a patient that they’re trying to get out of a house to put on a stretcher, or help them back into their house, then they don’t have to worry about lifting the patient,” said Deb Winder, Delisle and District Health Council chair.
According to Winder, about five months ago Darcy Parker, Delisle and District Deputy Fire Chief and the lead for first responders, addressed the health council about acquiring a Stair Chair for the fire department.
“When he (Parker) brought up his request to the health council and gave a couple examples that we had from our community, they thought that it was just a no-brainer that we should have one,” said Given.
First responders within the Delisle and District Fire Department will receive proper training on how to properly use the chair and get patients of various weight safely in and out of the chair.
Communities outside the Delisle and District coverage area will also have access to the Stair Chair.
“If someone in Perdue needs it, would they want to wait for somebody in the nearest city to bring them one, or for me to put it in my command vehicle and take it there? I know how to use it, all I need is two extra bodies,” said Given.
Overall, the Stair Chair provides another device for firefighters and responders to do their job properly when the situation calls for it.