Patient Stretchers

A stretcher is used to transport casualties or an incapacitated person from one place to another. The casualty is placed on the stretcher, and can then be carried away - usually if the patient is unable to walk by themselves or could risk further injury by walking.

All of our Mercedes Sprinter frontline ambulances are equipped with Stryker Rugged M1 Stretchers, primarily because they are built for one person operation - an important aspect as some of our vehicles are single crewed.

The Stryler stretchers are sturdy and well balanced, with both lap belt restraints and a four-point shoulder harness - providing greater safety for patients and staff. They are also highly flexible with a wheel swivel system, giving paramedics the ability to turn the stretcher more easily - very important as patients often need transport to and from narrow and windy areas.

Stryker stretchers are purpose built with an ergonomic lift & grip design, reducing manual handling for paramedics and increasing safety.

Defibrillators

A defibrillator is a machine used to shock the victim's heart and restore the heart's normal rythmic patterns. When a defibrillator is used, it in effect kicks the heart into action again, causing it to resume sending blood throughout the body. It is estimated that each minute that passes without defibrillation decreases the victim's survival chances by 10 percent.

All of our ambulances are equipped with the Medtronic ERS Lifepak 12 defibrillator/monitor. The Lifepak 12 is a defibrillator and a cardiac monitor – it provides both therapeutic and diagnostic functions in a single small device.

Having a 12-lead ECG gives the paramedic a three-dimensional look at the heart, as opposed to two-dimensional – this gives an in-depth view of the patient’s cardiac status, and allows for a more accurate diagnosis than with other defibrillators, and as a result an increased positive outcome for the patient.

The Lifepak 12's platform design provides ease of use and the flexibility to add new features and enhancements at a later date – an example of this are data transmission cards, which WFA use to transmit a comprehensive ECG readout ahead to the cardiac care unit at Wellington Hospital while en route with a suspected myocardial infarction. This feature has significantly improved the patient outcome for what was previously an in-hospital-only procedure.

The WFA resus packs are filled with a wide range of emergency pre-hospital equipment, including:

Advanced Airway Equipment (including a laryngoscope, ET tubes and Nasopharyngeal airways)
Adult & Pediatric Resuscitation Equipment (including bag masks & tubing)
Oxygen & Respiratory Gear (oxygen tanks, masks etc)
Diagnostic Tools (stethoscopes, BP cuffs and thermometers)
General First Aid Equipment (including bandages, gauze, saline, syringes, ventolin and thermal blankets)

Resus Packs

Every frontline ambulance is equipped with a 'Resus pack', which is a backpack filled with emergency medical equipment. In an emergency, this is usually the first item a paramedics grabs when exiting their ambulance to assist a patient.