Ambulance cot collection!

Cot Collection

Thats a fine looking collection you have there, I have two really old Washington " Removal Cots " they kinda look like upside down stokes baskets. I had them restored by FERNO about 10 years ago. I was lucky enough to aquire them from a funeral home, and they came out of and old M&M combo early 1960's model. The cot s were side by side in the rear, pretty neat I thought.:clap:
 
Cots and Stretchers

It's good to know you're prepared should any of us need a place to "crash" when we come through your town, lol. :)
 
Sarah Young said:
It's good to know you're prepared should any of us need a place to "crash" when we come through your town, lol. :)
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I did have to sleep on the model 30 for a couple nights once while doing some renovation and remodeling here at home once! Wasn't to bad of a nights sleep ether!
 
Being only in funeral service over 35 years, I can remember alot of these old cots. And being the idiots we are, we look at cots differently than EMS. To us, it's just a piece of equipment that gets in our way alot. It makes me sick to think we use to toss out the old cots because a newer one came along. I'll never look at a cot again the same way. You all have enlightenend me and made me come to appreciate cots. Question, what cot would be used in a 64 superior combo?
 
ferno Washington were together by then. so a single level or older #30 would be the norm but the auto load #27 were maybe not as popular was available also. notice how the pegs that support the raised portion of the cot are on the bed of the older #30 in the last picture. the next generation moved them to the wheel rack. ferno iskind of vage on them but the seariel number will give you a ida when it was built. some of our members have the list.
 

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Doug Watson said:
Being only in funeral service over 35 years, I can remember alot of these old cots. And being the idiots we are, we look at cots differently than EMS. To us, it's just a piece of equipment that gets in our way alot. It makes me sick to think we use to toss out the old cots because a newer one came along. I'll never look at a cot again the same way. You all have enlightenend me and made me come to appreciate cots. Question, what cot would be used in a 64 superior combo?
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Most popular for a full size car in that era:

#30 8-level
#54 2-level
#32 4-level
#27 one man/roll in
 
Of course that figures,,,,,,,I threw away a cot very similar to that one a couple years ago because the legs would buckle unexpectedley and I didn't want a lawsuit. So now I get the buy one back! Serves me right. So I'll put the word out that I'd like to buy one from the list of candidates. Another teachable moment.
 
John ED Renstrom said:
we had the #32 pictured in this post but this I beleve is the #54
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This is a #54-L, the low-profile version often referred to as a "knuckle buster" because of the bottom rail's proximity to the ground! This was designed for use in low-headroom vehicles such as station wagons and sedan deliveries. The headrom in these cars from about 1957-70 averaged 33", while lowtops and combinations of the period ranged from 38-43".
 
Where would I go to purchase one of these cots? Is there anybody in PCS that sells these or has access to them?

Most popular for a full size car in that era:

#30 8-level
#54 2-level
#32 4-level
#27 one man/roll in
 
Doug Watson said:
Where would I go to purchase one of these cots? Is there anybody in PCS that sells these or has access to them?

Most popular for a full size car in that era:

#30 8-level
#54 2-level
#32 4-level
#27 one man/roll in
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The first place I'd check is with the funeral homes in your area. Sometimes, these are sitting unused in garages and basements. Keep checking as you travel and talk with other funeral directors. Place a small ad in the KFDA magazine or newsletter. Ask your procar salesmen or casket truck drivers if they've seen any old stretchers in their business travels. I'll keep my eye out as I travel, as well. If you run across one and are not sure what it is, just send me a shot of it and I'll ID it for you. I'll PM my e-mail address and cell number to you. As expensive as these are to ship, you're better off finding one within driving distance. Good luck!
 
Cot Covers

Along the same line...most of the cots we have came across (and still use to temporary support a body until we get them in the casket when the embalming table must be used on a recent arrival) have very poor condition covers on them from years of use. In order to keep the original cover and yet make the cot still usable for years to continue we had new covers made up that slipped over the original. The best material we found was the water resistent treated cloth shower curtains. The color choice is pretty good and can be matched very closely to the original cot cover color.
 
Wow, my head is spinning! Good info here, thanks to everyone who provided some information and photos. I'm going to have to inventory my various cots. I think most are 30s plus a folding stretcher which will hang nicely in a hightop! Has anyone encountered any Baumgartner (sp?) cots? I've only seen one or two over the years.
 
the number 30 was a standard from the combination of Ferno with Washington in 54 or 55 up till they replaced it with the modale 35 in the 90's
so it's safe to say we have laughed at services using them for 40 years.
 
John ED Renstrom said:
the number 30 was a standard from the combination of Ferno with Washington in 54 or 55 up till they replaced it with the modale 35 in the 90's
so it's safe to say we have laughed at services using them for 40 years.
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Probably not as hard as I used to laugh at the mis-use of the 30's on t.v.

Like early seasons of Emergency!, where the rarely speaking "ambulance attendants" would keep them in down position the entire time while wheeling the patient into the E.R. treatment room instead of lifting them to the up position. I used to think it was because the actors didn't know how to lift them into up position, but then they would lift it up in order to transfer the patient from the cot over to the treatment table.

Thanks for the pics, I love old cots.
 
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