Transportable emergency response station for treatment or transportation of persons on stretchers

Abstract

The invention relates to a vehicle used in transporting or treating large numbers of victims or patients from a mass-casualty incident to or from a hospital in an evacuation situation. The typical vehicle contains a stacked stretcher system, a loading ramp system, and an oxygen system. This vehicle must have an independent energy source or must be capable of being powered by an outside energy source. The vehicle can be flexible enough to provide facilities for treatment of victims either at the site of a disaster, in route from the disaster, at any remote site, or near a healthcare facility. A variation of the vehicle contains refrigeration or freezer units and is capable of transporting or maintaining casualties until mortuary services can be obtained. Variations of the equipment include trays made of stainless steel, stretchers that can be easily cleaned and that allow for easy drainage of liquids.

We claim: 
     
         1 . A transportable emergency response station, the station comprising:
 a. an interior compartment;   b. a frame fixedly positioned in the interior compartment; and   c. a plurality of vertically stacked stretcher receiver assemblies positioned in the interior compartment, the plurality of vertically stacked stretcher receiver assemblies removably receiving and supporting a stretcher, each stretcher receiver assembly comprising:
 i. a support assembly carried by the frame; 
 ii. a translatable assembly, movably supported by the support assembly, for guiding a stretcher, having a major axis, in a lateral direction between extended and retracted positions that are horizontally coplanar, the lateral direction extending horizontally and crosswise to the major axis; and 
 iii. a catch tray, to be offset below a patient supporting surface of the stretcher, positioned and configured to contain fluids or objects coming from the stretcher, or patient thereon, at least when the translatable assembly is in the retracted position. 
   
     
     
         2 . The station according to  claim 1 , wherein the stretcher receiver assembly includes a restricting device for selectively restricting movement of the translatable assembly in the lateral direction from the retracted position to the extended position. 
     
     
         3 . The station according to  claim 1 , wherein the stretcher receiver assembly includes a restricting device for selectively restricting upward movement of the stretcher when the translatable assembly is in the retracted position. 
     
     
         4 . The station according to  claim 1 , wherein the frame is mounted to and extends from a floor of the compartment. 
     
     
         5 . The station according to  claim 1 , wherein the frame is:
 for being removed from the compartment, and   for thereafter being assembled outside of the compartment.   
     
     
         6 . The station according to  claim 1 , wherein the translatable portion comprises at least a pair of support brackets for receiving and supporting a respective end portion of the stretcher so that the stretcher moves with the translatable assembly relative to the frame portion in the lateral direction between the extended and retracted positions. 
     
     
         7 . The station according to  claim 6 , wherein each support bracket of the at least one pair of support brackets is configured for:
 receiving the respective end portion of the stretcher while the translatable portion is in the extended position; and   retaining the respective end portion of the stretcher while the translatable portion is in the retracted position.   
     
     
         8 . The station according to  claim 7 , wherein for each support bracket of the at least one pair of support brackets:
 the support bracket is an upwardly open channel for having the respective end portion of the stretcher lowered thereinto while the translatable assembly is in the extended position, and   the opening of the channel is obstructed while the translatable assembly is in the retracted position, for retaining the respective end portion of the stretcher in the channel while the translatable assembly is in the retracted position.   
     
     
         9 . The station according to  claim 1 , wherein neither the stretcher, nor any support directly attached to the stretcher, is resting directly upon the catch tray. 
     
     
         10 . The station according to  claim 1 , wherein the catch tray is removably attached to the translatable assembly. 
     
     
         11 . The station according to  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of vertically stacked stretcher receiver assemblies includes at least one set of three vertically stacked stretcher receiver assemblies. 
     
     
         12 . The station according to  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of vertically stacked stretcher receiver assemblies includes at least pairs of vertically stacked stretcher receiver assemblies along two opposite walls of the interior compartment, forming an aisle inbetween. 
     
     
         13 . A transportable emergency response station, the station comprising:
 a. an interior compartment;   b. a frame fixedly positioned in the interior compartment; and   c. a plurality of vertically stacked stretcher receiver assemblies positioned in the interior compartment, the plurality of vertically stacked stretcher receiver assemblies removably receiving and supporting a stretcher, each stretcher receiver assembly comprising:
 i. a support assembly carried by the frame; and 
 ii. a translatable assembly, movably supported by the support assembly, for guiding a stretcher, having a major axis, in a lateral direction between extended and retracted positions that are horizontally coplanar, the lateral direction extending horizontally and crosswise to the major axis, the translatable assembly including a catch tray, the catch tray having a support surface surrounded by at least one upwardly extending side walls, the catch tray configured to catch and contain fluid or objects coming from the stretcher, or patient thereon. 
   
     
     
         14 . The station according to  claim 13 , wherein the support surface of the catch tray is sloped to drain the fluid to an opening in the support surface. 
     
     
         15 . The station according to  claim 14 , wherein the opening leads to a hose connection leading away the fluid. 
     
     
         16 . A method of treating or transporting quarantined, injured or deceased persons comprising:
 a. providing a person on a stretcher;   b. providing a plurality of vertically stacked stretcher receiver assemblies stacked within a frame;   c. extending laterally a translatable assembly portion of said stretcher receiver assembly;   d. loading the stretcher with respect to the translatable portion; and   e. positioning the stretcher relative to a catch tray such that the tray is able to catch and contain fluids coming from the stretcher at least when the translatable assembly portion is not extended, and the person is not directly resting on the catch tray.   
     
     
         17 . The method according to  claim 16 , wherein, the step of positioning the stretcher relative to the catch tray further comprises sliding the translatable assembly portion back within the footprint of the frame. 
     
     
         18 . The method according to  claim 16 , wherein, the step of positioning the stretcher relative to the catch tray occurs prior to a further step, the further step comprising sliding the translatable assembly portion back within the footprint of the frame. 
     
     
         19 . The method according to  claim 16 , further comprising:
 f. directing fluids within the catch tray to a predetermined portion of the tray; and   g. removing the fluid from the tray through a drain opening at said predetermined portion of the tray.   
     
     
         20 . The method according to  claim 16 , wherein, the step of extending the translatable portion comprises sliding the translatable portion to be substantially outside a footprint of the frame.