ALACHUA COUNTY, FL - Alachua County Fire Rescue (ACFR) has expanded its transport capability with the addition of two new bariatric ambulances. These ambulances will operate from Station 10 on the east side of Alachua County and Station 16 on the west side. ACFR invites the public and the media to explore one of the ambulances as it goes into service on Thursday, February 4, 2016, at 9 a.m. at Station 10 located at 930 S.E. 5th Street, Gainesville.
Members of the department will be on hand to provide a guided tour of the ambulance and answer questions about the program.
“The bariatric program was designed to meet the growing needs of our community and allow us to provide safe, comfortable medical transportation for our bariatric patients,” said Alachua County Assistant Chief of EMS Jeff Taylor.
The ambulances are stocked with all of the equipment that standard ambulances carry, but with a couple of key differences. Each unit is outfitted with a hydraulic Mac lift and can accommodate Stryker bariatric stretchers designed to safely transport patients weighing up to 1,600 pounds.
“The standard equipment carried on our ambulances is often insufficient to handle our larger, heavier patients,” Taylor said. “The addition of these units to the fleet will allow us to significantly lower the risks to both patient and provider associated with these transports, while increasing the patient’s comfort and dignity.”
For more information, contact Jeff Taylor at 352-384-3131 or jetaylor@alachuacounty.us.