Piqua Fire Department receives powered stair chairs with grant funding

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PIQUA – The Piqua Fire Department equipped three new powered stair chairs in their ambulances last month. The new Stryker Xpedition powered stair chairs were purchased with a combination of grant funding and local funds. The Piqua Fire Department received a combined total of $48,923 from the Bureau of Workers’ Compensation Safety Intervention Grant and The Piqua Community Foundation for the purchase of the new powered stair chairs. The total cost was $53,385.

Chief Adams said the stair chairs offer benefits to both firefighters and the community.

“The powered track on the stair chairs helps decrease the risk of firefighter injury and fatigue while allowing for a more stable, less jarring transport of the patient up or down stairs,” said City of Piqua Fire Chief Lee Adams.

The new powered stair chairs are an improvement from the nonpowered version the department used in the past. The assistance the powered track provides on the chair makes transferring patients between floors a safer experience. The Stryker Xpedition powered stair chairs can be used on stairs as narrow as 24 inches wide and can support up to 500 pounds. The battery for each stair chair can provide power for 70 flights of stairs per charge.

“The Foundation is proud to support the health and safety of our community by providing funding for this essential equipment,” said Kalette N. Hittle, executive director of The Piqua Community Foundation. “This initiative reflects our mission to enhance the well-being of Piqua residents through charitable giving.”

The Piqua Community Foundation encourages charitable giving to benefit the citizens of Piqua and provides a variety of methods for donors to help fulfill their charitable giving wishes. The Bureau of Workers’ Compensation awards its Safety Intervention Grant to eligible applicants with the goal of reducing the risk of work-related injury.