Take the heavy weight off your shoulders
Published: 01 July, 2008
IA new emergency evacuation device that has been designed for moving and handling incapacitated, disabled or overweight individuals has been developed and launched in the UK.
Although only a few months on the market, the Promove sling is gaining much attention. The sling is currently under trial at a number of fire brigades in the UK – enquiries are coming thick and fast from other parts of Europe and distributor discussions are taking place in the USA.
The Promove sling is made of special low friction material that is smooth, slippery, and immensely strong has been designed for use in situations where a traditional hoist and sling cannot be used.
Its inventor, Dr Huw Thomas, got the idea for the product through his own experience as a disabled person. “The first thing that prompted me to think about this was the procedure for getting on and off aircraft. Before boarding a plane, normal procedure is to transfer a person onto a special narrow wheelchair, and then onto the seat. There is no specialist equipment for this, and typically it takes two people where one person takes the knees and another the shoulders, and then they physically lift up the passenger.
“This was on my mind for a while, but the thing that finally kicked me into doing something was when I was at the bar of a theatre, and was told that because the lift had broken down the fire brigade had been called to get me out. Of course there was no reason to panic, but my concern was, ‘how are they going to transfer me from the wheel chair?’ I thought it would be the same scenario as the aircraft, knees and shoulders, which is difficult for me because I am quite frail.
“When the firefighters arrived, the guys said they would take me down whilst in my powered wheel chair, which is heavier than I am – and I am over 11 stone.
“Six of them carried me down, but only four could get a grip on the wheelchair. I was very secure but it was a heck of a strain on the fire crew, and I was concerned for them.”
Eighteen months later the Promove sling became a reality. “It has a safe working load of 290 kg – and because it is intended for moving humans there is a 100 per cent margin of error, so it has been tested to twice that weight,” adds Dr Thomas.
The real limiting issue is not the weight, but the number of people who can take the weight, but he adds it has been designed so you can have additional handles for up to eight people.
The sling is easily placed under an incapacitated person whether they are lying on the ground, seated in a chair, or restircted in a tight corner; and when deployed it forms a bucket-shaped seat. It can be used on its own for moving or in combination with a glide sheet and transfer board (or glide sheet alone) for sliding.
