Royersford Fire Department has secured another grant, this one for the EMS Division allocated for equipment upgrades. The Department was notified late last week of the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) approval for over $77,000 to upgrade our EMS ambulance litters. Currently our EMS Division utilizes manual ambulance litters requiring our providers to physically lift the weight of the patient and the litter to an elevated position to be loaded and secured into the ambulance. These upgraded ambulance litters come at a price tag of over $19K and require a special mounting system to be installed in the patient compartment of the ambulance. With this new equipment a battery powered system will raise and lower the litter with just a push of a button meaning these battery powered litters will provide a safer environment for our providers as back injuries alone account for more than 20% of all workplace injuries in the United States. Back injuries and issues are a particular problem in EMS and emergency services, where at any given time it's estimated nearly 10% of the workforce is out of work from injury.

In the last two weeks Royersford Fire Department has been awarded over $342,000 for creating a stipend program for overnight staffing, recruitment and retention, and upgrading EMS equipment. RFD continues to look for opportunities and funding to offset the cost of operations and equipment but all these great upgrades and equipment are just items without someone to utilize them. If you're interested in joining the Royersford Fire Department team stop by the Walnut Street stration around 7pm on Monday evenings, send us an email at info@rfd98.org, or contact us through our Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.