Cincinnati Fire Department receives Doty Belt for all its front line units from Cincinnati Fire Foundation

Thousands of times each year, Cincinnati Firefighters assist residents from the floor. Sometimes this is simply to assist someone with a mobility problem after a mishap, other times the person may have fallen as part of a more serious medical issue. While patient lifting is a routine procedure for Firefighters, it comes with risks. Firefighters must help people who are often in cramped spaces, are sometimes large in stature, and who often have other injuries or conditions which may be worsened by the lift. The procedure also has risks for the firefighters, who are subjected to back, neck and muscle injuries from repeated lifting of patients.

Capt. Steven Bien and his crew on College Hill’s Engine 51 routinely found themselves in challenging lift- assist situations, and he knew there had to be a better way. After trying numerous internal solutions which are often used by firefighters, he began to research if there were any products available in the marketplace. Eventually Capt. Bien found the Doty Belt, a new device designed to prevent injury to patients and rescuers during lifting operations. The belt was tested by the Fire Department with great results. The only problem was the already tight Fire budget cycle had passed, and there was no room for new devices.

Enter the Cincinnati Fire Foundation (CFF), a charitable organization which supports our firefighters. After securing a generous gift from an anonymous donor, the CFF was able to fund the purchase of Doty Belt devices for all fire companies and medic units in the CFD. “The foundation supports the CFD on this and other projects to make services provided by the department more successful” says CFF President Ken Kuhn. “We are proud to assist with this project and others like it in the community.