For over 10 years, the Hardwire team has made armor to protect against a variety of threats. From 2008 to 2011 Hardwire produced over 5,000 explosively formed projectile armor kits for U.S. Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles, and they are working on a new armored vehicle.
The company used this experience and technology to develop an innovative stretcher. The Hardwire Ballistic Stretcher is a roll-up soft stretcher similar to a Reeves or Ferno flexible stretcher, only with 9 square feet of NIJ-certified Level IIIA ballistic protection. The device can protect the operator from small-arms fire in an emergency.
Lightweight protection
Flexible stretchers are very popular in urban areas with narrow hallways and stairwells. They are simple and fast to use and frequently carried in with the medical gear. Thus the Hardwire stretcher is something you are likely to have with you when you need it.
The stretcher weighs 17 pounds, only 2 pounds heavier than a Reeves 101. It features six carry handles and three patient restraint straps. It also has two handles for deploying it as a shield while you make a hasty retreat.
Hardwire uses Dyneema ballistic material, an ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene. UHMWPE fibers were commercialized in the late 1970s by the Dutch chemical company DSM. They are widely used in ballistic protection and defense applications.
The ballistic material also helps make the stretcher a little more comfortable for the patient by adding some padding. It even has a built-in pillow that should enhance cervical alignment by proving a little head elevation. The outside fabric of the stretcher is durable, fluid-impervious PVC-coated polyester.
Easy to carry
The longitudinal slats inside the stretcher allow you to carry it end to end. This is what helps you carry it down tight stairways that have sharp twisting landings. Few patient-handling devices equal a flexible stretcher when it comes to the challenges presented by older buildings and safely carrying patients down stairs.
The stretcher rolls up for compact storage and more convenient transport to the patients’ side. It will easily fit in most backboard compartments or under-the-bench-seat storage areas.
The Hardwire stretcher was created after consultation with the SWAT instructors for the Maryland State Police. They shared recent incidents where EMTs and medics showed up at active shooter incidents before law enforcement and found themselves in harm’s way without any protection.
With the Hardwire stretcher, early responders can now have a ballistic shield on hand. For tactical EMS providers, the company can also make the stretcher in black upon special request.
