LEWISTON – United Ambulance Service donated an evacuation stair chair on July 30 to assist the city of Lewiston with its emergency action plan.

As part of the city’s plan, it is responsible for the safety of its residents, visitors and employees in City Hall, 27 Pine St. The plan has a variety of facets to it, including building evacuation should an emergency occur.

United Ambulance Executive Director Paul Gosselin said, “United Ambulance Service is pleased to have been able to donate this piece of equipment, as it will assist city employees and community members who may have to evacuate City Hall in any type of situation. Additionally, this chair is the same chair that United employees and other public safety agencies are using at this time.”

The evacuation chair is capable of gliding down stairs with patients weighing up to 500 pounds. The weight capacity and gliding mechanism may assist rescuers and trained individuals in decreasing the likelihood of a back injury when assisting individuals who must evacuate a building through stair wells and long corridors.

Safety and Loss Time Coordinator Donald Mailhot said, “In some emergencies, such as in a fire, elevators cannot be used due to the possibility of people being trapped if the power goes out. As an alternative, regular fire escape routes are used to leave a building. However, people with physical disabilities and special needs may not be able to use stairways and would have to wait for rescue from the fire department. “

Prior to the donation, Mailhot had pursued learning about an emergency stair chair that he’d observed at Central Maine Community College in Auburn. He spoke with United Ambulance Service Project Coordinator Brad Gilbert, who recommended the type of chair that he felt would be best for City Hall. Mailhot said he was pleased that United Ambulance would donate a chair to the city, as well as provide training and preventative maintenance and repair services for the lifetime of the equipment.

Mayor Laurent Gilbert noted, “We are very grateful to United Ambulance Service for generously providing this chair to the city of Lewiston. This is another example of our community’s collaborative spirit, and we are very thankful to have this piece of equipment at City Hall for the benefit of all who work in or visit the building.”