Firefighter/paramedics Kylee Andrews and Lt./engineer Scott Hauss slid the new Ferno iNX stretcher out of the rescue unit at Boca Raton Fire Rescue Station 5 to show how it works.

Firefighter/paramedics Kylee Andrews and Lt. Joe Vesce slid the new Ferno iNX stretcher out of the rescue unit at Boca Raton Fire Rescue Station 5 to show how it works.

Hydraulic legs slide out on an incline from a 7-foot track welded to the floor that fit snug inside the truck. The front end can raise up, so the Ferno iNX can even climb over a 3 1/2-foot concrete barrier called a jersey wall on a highway for crash rescues, said EMS Capt. Craig Ashley.

Added to all 13 units with two spares in February, the city's paramedics consider the innovation more than just an equipment upgrade.

"The old ones were hydraulic, too, but required us to take them in and out of the truck," Ashley said.

"It saves our backs a lot," Vesce said about stretchers that created an occupational hazard for paramedics.

"Over a 25-year career of lifting a 250-pound person six or seven times a day, it's good for wear and tear," Ashley said.

The new stretcher can even accommodate more weight.

"We purchased a service extender that allows us to transport patients up to 700 pounds," he said. "Now city rescue doesn't have to call a private ambulance service, which used to require the patient and the crew to wait until it arrived."

"The other stretchers were not able to accommodate that much weight," said Bob Lemons, public information officer. "This is more versatile in how we position patients."

In a hospital setting that could help patients who need a breathing apparatus sit up, Ashley said.

"There are 61 LED lights around the stretcher so it's good for darkness," especially on a highway for a crashed vehicle, he said. "It alerts other drivers."

Equipment paramedics keep on the stretcher are a cardiac monitor, airway bag and a medical box with medicine.

"If we're responding to a house, we can wheel it in and everything is ready to go," Ashley said.

The new stretchers have videos as part of the training available on YouTube. In one of them, a 7-year-old shows how he can handle a grown man on the stretcher.

"They did a great job designing this," Ashley said. "We also purchased a cardiac monitoring hook and an IV pole."

Boca Raton City Council approved the funds for the new cardiac monitoring unit that will go into service over the summer," Fire Chief Tom Wood said.