Putnam EMS Allowed To Apply For Equipment Grant

Putnam County EMS will apply for a $150,000 Assistance To Firefighters Grant.

EMS Director Tommy Copeland said the same grant program provided funding for new equipment last year.

“We did get some money from this grant last year. We’ve applied probably 6 or 7 times, and we’ve been successful probably 3 or 4 times,” Copeland said. “Last year, it provided partial funding for our power cots.”

The Putnam County Commission has granted EMS permission to apply for the grant. If awarded, Copeland said the money would be used to purchase powered stair chairs for ambulances.

“We’ve got stair chairs on our trucks now that you can manually carry them (patients) up or roll them down a set of stairs,” Copeland said. “These will have actually a battery operation on them, so the stair chair will go up or down the stairs under power.”

Copeland said the battery-operated stair chairs would help prevent injuries to ambulance workers.