Firefighters will soon be outfitted with top technology in their ambulances.

The Chicago Fire Department’s 75 advanced life-support ambulances will soon be equipped with “motor-elevated electric” cots designed to speed patient treatment and minimize paramedic injuries.

Field-tests three years ago provided mixed results, with complaints that motors made the cots too heavy. On the other hand, the use of old-fashioned stretchers poses risks of shoulder, neck and back injuries as they are lifted into ambulances.

As more private ambulance companies make the switch to electric cots, the city has announced it’s plans to do the same. According to the city’s 2018 budget overview, the department will replace all ambulance cots with motor-elevated cots in the upcoming months, eliminating the need to manually load patients into emergency vehicles.

Please visit the official website of the Chicago Fire Department for more details and information on innovative changes to improve the system.