SOUTH DEERFIELD — With the help of two grants, South County EMS is able to replace some of its aging equipment with new, modern stretchers, alongside a replacement stair chair.

South County EMS received a $71,428 Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Assistance to Firefighters grant to buy two new Stryker stretchers and an additional $4,679 from CSX Railroad’s Community Service grant program to purchase a stair chair. The agency will, though, use $3,571 to match the FEMA grant.

Paramedic Laurie McComb, who submitted both grant applications, said the money will help purchase equipment that South County EMS has never bought before because it is still using equipment that predates the agency, which was formed by Deerfield, Sunderland and Whately in 2014.

“South County’s in this funny spot of being an established, well-respected agency, but it’s still feeling the ties to our old individual departments,” McComb said. “All three [stretchers] that we currently have are Deerfield, Whately and Sunderland purchases that came with the start of South County.”

With the Assistance to Firefighters grant, South County EMS is able to replace its 13- and 15-year-old stretchers with brand-new equipment. Additionally, McComb noted the three member communities appropriated capital funding at their Town Meetings this year to replace a stretcher and this grant means that money can be returned to the towns or used elsewhere.

The grant program is typically geared toward fire departments, although a small portion of the $324 million FEMA set aside for the program, about $6.5 million, is available to third service agencies like South County EMS. A third service agency is a standalone EMS service, rather than one that is built into a fire department.

While $75,000 might seem “extravagant” for two stretchers, McComb said Stryker stretchers are the “industry standard” and create a “more stable, safer environment for us and for the patients.” The improved safety features also mean the stretchers are lighter and all four wheels have locks, ensuring stability.

“The cost upfront seems extravagant, but you talk about one paramedic back injury and you have covered your costs time and time again because of all the lifting,” McComb explained, adding that back injuries are “one of the main reasons for shortening someone’s career.”

As for the stair chair, McComb said she “kind of just stumbled upon” CSX’s grant program and figured it’d be a good opportunity to purchase another “career-lengthening” tool for paramedics.

Stair chairs are used to get patients out of areas where a stretcher cannot reach, such as up the stairs in a resident’s house, by allowing paramedics to “glide a patient” down the stairs using the tracks on the back of the chair.

“Our stair chairs are in a similar state as our stretchers,” McComb said, adding she was thankful for CSX’s help in awarding the grant. “It’s a $5,000 piece of equipment that we use on nearly every call.”

While the stretchers have already arrived in Deerfield, McComb said the stair chair is expected to arrive in about a month or so.

Chris Larabee can be reached at clarabee@recorder.com.