PORT ANGELES — Clallam 2 Fire-Rescue has received a new stair chair that was ordered last year with funds from an August grant of $4,361.66 from the Clallam County Physicians Community Benefit Fund.

Delivery was delayed by the sort of supply chain disruptions that many have experienced in the last year or two, but the chair arrived in January and the district has completed the training program on its use.

Stair chairs are used to move patients down staircases that are too narrow to fit a gurney; the transcend model is rated for patients who weigh up to 550 pounds.

The fire district’s new Ferno Transcend stair chair differs from the district’s previous chairs by the presence of specialized tracks that glide the chair down steps and help to control the speed of descent.

The district’s older chairs require rescuers to manually lower the chair down each step, which increases the risk of lower back injury to the firefighters.

“The newly acquired tracked stair chair will provide for a safer working environment for our EMS responders and help the broader community who our crews interact with on a daily basis,” said Clallam 2 Fire Chief Jake Patterson.

The Physicians Community Benefit Fund provides scholarships for medical education and community grants that encourage one-time, medically-related, projects that will benefit a broad cross-section of the community.