Case study: Xtract™ SR stretchers in use by the Swedish Armed Forces

Our Xtract™ SR Stretchers are used by numerous military, police, first response, medical, and industrial customers around the world, and are useful for facilitating rapid and safe evacuations in austere environments. A good example of the Xtract™  SR Stretchers in active use is shown by our Scandinavian colleagues in the Swedish Armed Forces. Read on to find out more:

About the customer

The Armed Forces Centre for Defence Medicine (FömedC), oversees medical support to the personnel of the Swedish military in both peacetime and operational conditions. The customer was looking for a versatile casevac stretcher that could be used by the Swedish Armed Forces Medical Regiment and other service personnel to quickly evacuate injured persons in heavy snow.

The challenge

The Swedish climate and environment present various challenges to casualty treatment and evacuation, including low temperatures, short daylight hours in winter, deep snow, and persistent damp environments. These challenges are exacerbated in combat scenarios and during exercises. When an injury occurs, the EVAC procedure requires the armed forces medics to quickly arrive at the site, stabilise the injured person’s condition, and evacuate them back to a field hospital as quickly as possible. In heavy snow, this is usually facilitated by using what is called a towing stretcher. However, not all products have the versatility for use in austere environments, and many are not adjustable to the fact that not all casualties come out on their backs.

Our solution:

As a lightweight, versatile, and robust solution field tested by military and civilian emergency response customers around the world, the Xtract™ SR was a perfect fit for FömedC’s needs. R2R International, an independent leader in remote medicine training, have called the stretcher: ‘the simplest and most effective out of backpack stretcher available’ for use in challenging environments. 

For our customers in the Swedish Armed Forces, the product was able to fulfil several core requirements needed to save lives in challenging conditions:

• The stretcher is lightweight and compact enough for easy transport in military backpacks.
• The robust construction is capable of withstanding harsh conditions in remote locations for extended periods of time.
• The Xtract™SR has proven performance through extensive testing in diverse military rescue scenarios.

Outcomes

Since its introduction in active service, the Xtract™SR has been used in a wide variety of combat training scenarios and live emergency response conditions, including:

• Wilderness education
• Armed Forces personnel safety training
• Search and rescue
• Expedition medicine

Find out more

The Xtract™SR is designed and engineered to meet the demanding needs of military professionals in a wide range of applications, helping you conduct rapid evacuations and save lives. To find out more and to discover the benefits to your emergency response strategy, please contact TSG Associates today.