Stretchers Suppliers

Getting an injured crew member off a ship is a stretcher problem as much as a medical one. A casualty may have to come up an engine-room ladder, through a narrow hatch, and onto a helicopter or a rescue boat, and an ordinary flat ambulance stretcher cannot do any of it. Marine stretcher suppliers deal in the types built for that: stretchers that wrap and secure a casualty so they can be lifted vertically, hoisted, and carried through the tight spaces a ship is full of.

The Neil Robertson Stretcher

The Neil Robertson stretcher is the classic ship stretcher, and most vessels carry one. It is a semi-rigid stretcher of slats in a canvas cover that wraps around the casualty and straps them in firmly, holding the body straight so it can be raised vertically through a hatch or engine-room opening and hoisted by crane or helicopter without the casualty shifting. Nothing else does the confined-space vertical lift as well, which is why it is the stretcher a ship's medical and safety inventory is usually built around.

Basket, SKED, and Other Types

Around the Neil Robertson sit the other rescue stretchers, each for a scenario. A basket or Stokes stretcher is a rigid cradle for horizontal carrying and helicopter winching, and it is the usual choice for lifting a casualty by air or over the side. A SKED stretcher is a roll-up plastic sheet that stows in a small tube, wraps tight around the casualty, drags through confined spaces, and floats, which suits engine rooms and water work alike. Folding Paraguard stretchers and rigid spine boards round out the range for immobilization and compact stowage. Recovering a casualty from the water before they ever reach a stretcher is a separate problem, handled by rescue equipment suppliers with their own recovery gear.

What Matters When Buying

Above the type, a few things decide a good buy. A stretcher meant for hoisting needs its lifting bridle and harness, rated and complete, rather than sourced later. Materials have to survive the marine environment - corrosion-resistant frames, rot-proof straps, and a cover that lasts in a damp locker. Stowage matters too, because a stretcher that lives behind three other items will not be reached in the minute it is needed. And the flag's medical-guide and safety requirements set the minimum the vessel must carry, which is the floor a supplier should quote to.

Choosing a Supplier

For a directory buyer, marine stretcher suppliers differ by the range they carry, whether the stretcher comes complete with its harness and bridle, and whether they also supply the wider ship's medical stores the stretcher belongs with. A supplier who asks how a casualty would actually move through the ship is quoting the right stretcher, not simply the cheapest one on the list.

Give the vessel's access constraints - hatch and ladder sizes, and whether helicopter or boat transfer is realistic - along with the flag's requirement, and a supplier can match the stretcher, harness, and bridle to how a rescue would really run aboard.