Jon raises more than £15,000 for Yorkshire Air Ambulance

Jon Ellis, our managing director, has cycled his way to raising more than £15,000 to help keep Yorkshire Air Ambulance flying.
Jon has raised the cash during the past three years for the Keep It Up campaign by taking part in a series of challenging charity bike rides called Pedal for Pounds. The events are organised by Huddersfield Town FC where Jon is a season ticket holder and fundraise for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance (YAA) and Huddersfield Town Academy. In four years, more than £800,000 has been donated to the Keep It Up campaign.
The YAA is an independent charity providing a rapid response emergency service to 5 million people across Yorkshire. It costs £9,990 a day just to keep the two emergency response helicopters maintained and in the air.
In May this year 300 cyclists took part in Pedal for Pounds 4, leaving the John Smith’s Stadium in Huddersfield to complete a 260-mile round trip taking in Hull, Scarborough, the notorious Sutton Bank and Harrogate before heading back to Huddersfield in time for Town’s last game of the season against Barnsley. So far, Jon has collected £6,060 for completing his latest arduous journey and the money is still coming in.
His fundraising doesn’t stop with the cycling. Ferno is a long-standing corporate supporter of the YAA and we encourage colleagues to come up with ideas to raise money for the charity. At the last count, the company had raised more than £18,600 from activities such as football, bake-offs, cooking, recycling initiatives and monthly dress down days.
Jon said: “The Yorkshire Air Ambulance is such a great cause which relies heavily on donations from individuals and businesses. When you add up the money it makes all the hours of aching muscles worthwhile. As a company, Ferno is proud to be associated with an organisation which helps to save so many lives in Yorkshire and it’s fantastic that everyone at Ferno is just as supportive and enthusiastic when it comes to fundraising for them.”

Breaking records with Drayson Racing: Part 2

Breaking records with Drayson Racing

Former science minister Lord Drayson has broken the world land speed record for an electric car…and a team from Ferno was there to witness it.
The Labour peer, who runs his own motor racing team, Drayson Racing, reached a speed of 204.185 miles per hour behind the wheel of his prototype B12/69 electric vehicle.
The new record, which was set at the Elvington Airfield in Yorkshire, beat the previous fastest speed set by an electric car by almost 29mph.
Lord Drayson, who was science minister from 2008 until the 2010 general election, said: “I’m delighted we’ve beaten the record and can show the world electric vehicles can be fast and reliable.
"It is not the outright speed of 204mph that is most impressive about this record, but the engineering challenge of accelerating a 1000kg electric vehicle on a short runway over a measured mile.
"This is a true celebration of Britain's leading position within the burgeoning electric vehicle industry and I'm delighted to be at the forefront of this electric revolution.”
Lord Drayson has been conducting tests on his vehicle, which is a converted B10 Le Mans Prototype car, at Elvington Airfield to demonstrate the technology.
He added that he hoped to set further records this week as they conduct further tests, including the acceleration record.
So what’s this got to do with Ferno? Good question.
Well, when you decide to go very fast in a car even on an airfield, accidents can happen and without the emergency services on standby ready to jump into action, lives can be lost. So Ferno’s latest innovation – created especially for the motor sports new product development team – was at Elvington in case the worst happened.
Our new Spinal Protection Extraction Device (SPED) pictured above was developed with Dr Hajinder Chaggar one of the FIAs Chief Medical Officers to create a pre-hospital extrication and spinal immobilisation solution for motorsport.
Specially designed to access restricted areas like the cockpit of a racing car the SPED is designed to quickly and safety extract and recover a driver from a vehicle after an accident.
We think drivers like Lord Drayson, who risk their lives to bring us motorsport entertainment, need to have the very best equipment and protocols in place to ensure no further injury or trauma takes place if an accident happens.
We hope in the future the Ferno SPED’s development will ensure a safer means of extrication for all – watch this space.
The Ferno team had a great time at the record-breaking event and like in most cases we did not see our products in use, thankfully.
See more pictures on our Facebook page.

Arin steps in to help Canadian flood victims

The devastating floods across Southern Alberta have hit close to home for our Canadian colleagues. Our Western RSM  Arin Reitsma is smack in the middle of it. Fortunately, Arin's home is on a hill but the access roads to it have been impacted.
Proving that Ferno "walks the walk" as well as "talks the talk", Arin (and his equipment) have been pressed into action, volunteering with Alberta Health Service and the local Search & Rescue team. This is the same team that Arin taught a rope rescue class to.
Keep in touch via Ferno Canada's Twitter account as we expect to have photos soon. So far, more than 100,000 people have been evacuated and there are a number of suspected fatalities.
Please keep Arin and his family in your thoughts.

Ferno on the field: British & Irish Lions versus Australia

Ferno was on the field again at the weekend … this time at the much vaunted grudge match between the British & Irish Lions and Australia.
Wallabies debutant Christian Lealiifano was stretchered off with a Ferno scoop EXL at Suncorp Stadium after being knocked out attempting to make the opening tackle in the first Test against the British and Irish Lions.
Lealiifano was out cold after copping a heavy hit on his head from opposite number Jonathan Davies in the first 45 seconds.
Davies immediately stopped to assist the Wallabies inside centre, who was taken off with his neck in a brace.
Lealiifano, one of three Australians making his first Test start, did give a thumbs up as he left the field on a medicab.
He was replaced by Pat McCabe.
While Lealiifano was later cleared of serious damage, the carnage continued for the Wallabies backs with fullback Berrick Barnes and McCabe both taken off on stretchers.
Barnes suffered a head clash with Israel Folau just before halftime while McCabe injured his neck in a tackle after dropping a low pass.
Kurtley Beale came on for Barnes while reserve flanker Liam Gill replaced McCabe and No.7 Michael Hooper moved to the centres.
Oh … and the Lions won by a narrow margin.

Screen break: Ferno on BBC1’s Life Savers

Spotted on BBC1’s Life Savers  last night - a Ferno CCT-BP trolley which is our latest Balloon Pump trolley.
There's a revolution happening in the way life-threatening injuries are being treated across the country and Life Savers follows every step of the groundbreaking 'chain of survival' for life-threatening injuries, designed to save hundreds of extra lives every year.
The first regional 'major trauma network' to become fully operational opened its doors to Life Savers, to capture the complete story of patients' journeys from the roadside, through life-saving surgery, to recovery. Based in the world-famous Addenbrookes Hospital in Cambridge, this series captures the drama at the very limits of frontline medicine.
Early on a Saturday evening, a high-speed, head-on collision on a country road triggers the new system. The wreckage traps a family of three in one car and a single driver in another. Forty firefighters and six ambulances are already on scene, but they need the advanced medical skills of Dr Auden Langhelle and Neil Flowers to help release them.
At Addenbrookes, consultant-in-charge Rod Mackenzie receives the news and prepares his new system for its biggest test so far. As the four patients travel along the chain of survival - from the emergency department, through the scanner, intensive care, surgery and beyond - it becomes clear the most critical is the mother from the family. She needs an operation at the scene of the accident to save her, and puts the new life-saving system to the ultimate test.
The system is triggered again for another car accident: a 24-year-old has crashed through a brick wall at 50 mph. For every ten life-threatening injuries brought to Addenbrookes, eight happen on the region's roads. Yet another collision proves the system cannot save everyone, and one patient has to be told that a partner and father was 'pronounced life extinct at scene.'
With film crews embedded with air ambulances, the emergency department, critical care units and operating theatres, Life Savers reveals as never before the real-life drama of frontline emergency medicine.
It’s good to see our equipment (pictured above) really does save lives… Your can read more on the directors blog here.

Working with EMS professionals to make our products better

Ferno's Tim Schroeder (in the red shirt) tells local fire department officials and firefighter-paramedics about design changes the Wilmington company may make in ambulance cots.

Some news just in from the Cincinnati about our American cousins which shows how closely we collaborate with emergency service professionals. Read on…

Local fire department officials recently got a look at the future of ambulances and emergency medical service equipment, and the manufacturer’s engineers took the opportunity to get feedback from firefighter-paramedics on the frontline.
Stephen Ashbrock, chief of the Madeira & Indian Hill Joint Fire District, said staff from his district and from eight other regional fire districts and departments that traveled to Wilmington to tour the Ferno company’s manufacturing plant can reveal few details about what they saw because of a non-disclosure agreement with the company that may be best known for its ambulance cots.
But, “As they showed us the equipment we were in the unique position then to provide them feedback on what we liked or perhaps didn’t like about the prototype,” Ashbrock said.
“This is genuine outreach by the company as they are asking the actual users of their equipment to provide input into the quality and functionality of the equipment we use every day.”
Participating in the tour of Ferno were members of the East Group of Fire Departments, which, in addition to the Madeira & Indian Hill Joint Fire District, include the Anderson Township Fire Department, Deer Park Silverton Joint Fire District, Little Miami Joint Fire & Rescue District, Mariemont Fire Department, Milford Community Fire Department, Montgomery Fire Department, Sycamore Township Fire Department and Terrace Park Fire Department.
The local fire department officials and firefighter-paramedics watched Ferno test cots and other emergency medical services equipment and participated in a hands-on lab featuring prototype cots not yet on the market.
Ferno also makes motorized “stair chairs” that move people up and down steps and “scoop stretchers” that help lift people out of beds and off floors.
“What makes the equipment special is that it is designed to improve the safety of patient-moving for both the patient and the emergency responder,” Ashbrock said.
“We also were presented with Ferno’s view of ambulances of the future and how they might be made smaller, more efficient and safer by redesigning the interior spaces and storage areas.”
Colton Janzen of Madeira, a Xavier University business student and unpaid business intern with the Madeira & Indian Hill Joint Fire District, coordinated the event with Ferno officials.
“I am interested in available careers in American manufacturing, so when the manufacturer makes fire department equipment it was a perfect opportunity to try to make the connection for the fire departments, Ferno and me,” Janzen said.
“When a manufacturer is interested in the input of the end-user of their products everyone benefits.”
Ashbrock said it is too early to say what the new equipment Ferno is developing will cost and whether local fire districts and departments will be able to afford any of it.
“Some of the equipment will be more expensive than current equipment, but if it saves firefighter back injuries there is a definite trade-off and more – like a savings for the fire departments,” Ashbrock said.
“There is perhaps an arguable view that redesigned ambulances could actually be less expensive.”
The East Group of Fire Departments meets monthly to discuss collaborative efforts.
Original article is here Cincinnati.com

Here we are the DVD Military Exhibition

Today, and for the next three days, we will be showcasing our new military range of products including litters, litter arms and vehicle mounts at the DVD Military Show .
DVD is one of the most important events in the UK Defence industry's diary. It is the Defence Equipment and Support Services (DE&S) annual stakeholder event for the military land equipment community and brings together the acquisition community with military personnel and industry organisations for two days of informal discussion and briefings.
Managing director Jon Ellis said: “Through our US parent company, Ferno has built up a great deal of expertise in developing a wide range of military emergency medical equipment – from extraction technologies through to medical support.
“As we continue to deliver the highest levels of technology, capability and service for the UK's Armed Forces, the DVD show provides Ferno with an opportunity to meet and share ideas and solutions for issues affecting current and future emergency medical equipment and support.”

 If you are attending the DVD exhibition come and say hello at our stand C3-146 – we will be tweeting with the hashtag #dvd2013.

Ferno celebrates most successful year at National Funeral Exhibition

We have just enjoyed our most successful exhibition for the funeral sector and have received great feedback from visitors.
Earlier this month (June 7 – 9), a team from Ferno attended the National Funeral Exhibition held in Stoneleigh Park, Kenilworth. The exhibition hosts more than 215 different companies from all over the world and runs every two years.
We received a total of 105 sales enquiries over the three-day period - most of which led to sales! Significant interest was shown in the new products that we were showcasing including our new bariatric equipment.
For more than 50 years, we have provided excellent service to the funeral and mortuary sector and it was gratifying to see this recognised at the exhibition.
Not only was this exhibition a massive success for Ferno but the exhibition organisers labelled the event “without doubt the biggest and most successful funeral exhibition ever held in the UK”.
Best of all, however, is that we actually sold one of the products we exhibiting when the Flexible Body Fridge was bought off the stand by a very nice funeral director from Barnsley.
In addition to the National Funeral Exhibition, Ferno also attend other exhibitions throughout the year. Two of these events are coming up, DVD (19-20 June) at Millbrook and Ambulex at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry (10-11 July). See you there.

We are backing the Yorkshire Ambulance Service Foundation Trust

We have recently become members of the Yorkshire Ambulance Service Foundation Trust.
Yorkshire Ambulance Service’s vision is to provide an ambulance service which is continuously developing and delivering the highest level of patient care and services for their residents across Yorkshire and the Humber, Bassetlaw, North Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire.
To help them achieve this vision, they have started on a journey to become an NHS Foundation Trust. NHS Foundation Trusts are membership organisations that are free from central government control. This means that Yorkshire Ambulance Service will have a lot more freedom to shape the way that they provide and develop services for their patients.
They have set out some plans for how they would like to take the new organisation forward in the future, and have been consulting with staff and residents alike since September around these plans.
As a Foundation Trust their decisions will be influenced by our ‘Members’, who will be made up of staff, patients and public from across Yorkshire and the Humber, Bassetlaw, North Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire.
Everyone who lives in these areas and is over the age of 16 will be able to become a member (membership is free). As a member you will be to help us shape the way that we develop our services in the future and make sure that they really benefit your local community.
However, to become a Foundation Trust the organisation needs 6,000 members from the region.
But we can do that can’t we? A lot of Ferno staff have already filled in the online form to become members and you can too! To become a member and ensure the Yorkshire Ambulance Service gets Foundation Trust status go to the form here and fill it in.
You can contact Yorkshire Ambulance Service for more information on their future plans, or to become a member of the new Trust, by emailing them at foundationtrust@yas.nhs.uk or by phone 01924 584 567.

Keep the National Media Museum in Bradford

The forthcoming government cuts to the Science Museum Group's (SMG) annual funding will have a massive impact on the daily running of four of the UK's most visited Museums. Led by the Science Museum in London, the SMG also includes the National Railway Museum in York, the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester and the National Media Museum in Bradford.
Ian Blatchford, Director of the Science Museum Group has stated that a further 10% cut in funding in the next round of government spending proposals meant "almost certainly" one museum would shut. Out of the four Museums the National Media Museum in Bradford has the least visitors annually and is the most at risk to closure.
As a result Ferno – a proud Yorkshire company – and its staff are committed to keeping the National Media Museum in Bradford.
The National Media Museum is a unique, world-class visitor destination and constantly delivers a range of inspiring events, exhibitions and galleries in one of the poorest Cities in the UK. The Museum gives visitors a rare opportunity to experience many world firsts and is home to over 3 million objects that track the history of photography, film, animation, television and videogames. The film and festival programme is an exciting offer that welcomes many award-winning filmmakers and artists to the UK. The Museum is the heart of the cultural community in Bradford and its closure would have truly tragic consequences for the cultural, economic and tourism offer of the City and the Region.
The National Media Museum may have fewer visitors when compared to its family members in Manchester, York and London but at more than 500,000 visits in 2012 the Bradford attraction is still a popular visitor destination. It is also now central to Bradford’s identity and one of the few attractions that Bradford can be truly proud off.
There is no other public building in the UK that offers this combination of free galleries, temporary exhibitions, cinemas, events and workshops for all types of audiences - schools, families, students, community groups, photographers, film and television lovers, historians and enthusiasts - we can't lose this British gem of an institution.
2013 marks the 30th anniversary of the National Media Museum. Millions of visitors have benefited from the heritage, knowledge and inspiration found within its walls. Don't let this institution close and allow these opportunities slip away from future generations. 
To offer your support you can go to the Save the National Media Museum in Bradford page at the 38 Degrees website and sight the petition.
The aim of this petition is not to ask to save the National Media Museum and close another Museum within the SMG. All of the SMG institutions are vital to their Cities and area of expertise. The aim of this campaign is to highlight the individual support for the National Media Museum and Bradford and urge the government to not allow any of the Museums in the SMG to close their doors.
The Bradford Telegraph & Argus newspaper also has their own petition to help save the National Media Museum. They have agreed to pool both petitions together so don't worry about which one to sign. They are both pulling in the same direction.
And of course, as well as signing these petitions the best way to show your support is to pay the Museum a visit in the next few weeks. Visitor figures are its life blood. There is more on this story on the Northerner Blog of The Guardian.

Getting ready for the DVD Military Show

This week we will be showcasing our new military range of products including litter, litter arms and vehicle mounts at the DVD Military Show on June 19-21.
DVD is one of the most important events in the UK Defence industry's diary. It is the Defence Equipment and Support Services (DE&S) annual stakeholder event for the military land equipment community and brings together the acquisition community with military personnel and industry organisations for two days of informal discussion and briefings.
Managing director Jon Ellis said: “Through our US parent company, Ferno has built up a great deal of expertise in developing a wide range of military emergency medical equipment – from extraction technologies through to medical support.
“As we continue to deliver the highest levels of technology, capability and service for the UK's Armed Forces, the DVD show provides Ferno with an opportunity to meet and share ideas and solutions for issues affecting current and future emergency medical equipment and support.”
Held over two days at Millbrook Proving Ground, Bedfordshire it is organised by DE&S, which is the part of the MOD responsible for equipping and supporting the UK's Armed Forces for current and future operations.
We will be exhibiting our range of military stretchers and revolutionary FMS ALLEvac Litter arms and mounts. The Litter Arms work in conjunction with the FMS ALLEvac Ferno-Track system and FMS ALLEvac mounting plates for fixing the litter inside vehicles
Together they provide a strong, stable, and lightweight litter platform for any military vehicle and can be used with any NATO-style litter due to a self-adjustable, one-hand quick-release and capture system.
The FMS AllEvac Litter Arms greatly simplify evacuation of litter casualties and eliminate the challenges of so-called tactical vehicle evacuation.  Each pair of FMS Litter Arms are load-tested to hold one critical casualty.
If you are attending the DVD exhibition come and say hello at our stand C3-146 – we will be tweeting with the hashtag #dvd2013.

Keep on track with Compact 2 Track

Here’s our new Compact 2 Track – a carry and tracked chair in one, which enhances patient security and reduces the burden of manual handling for users.
The chair has an attachable track for moving patients downstairs meaning emergency services no longer need to have two different chairs (carry chair and track chair), helping to reduce equipment costs and the overall weight of their vehicle whilst increasing storage space.
The track feature enables patients to be transported downstairs safely, eliminating the risk of manual handling injuries to the user caused by carrying downstairs. In addition, the chair’s height-adjustable rear handle has also been designed with users’ health and safety in mind; it reduces stooping and improves posture and ease of moving the chair up and down vehicle ramps.
The attachable track makes the Compact 2 Track easy to store, folding neatly in half and allowing it to be stored in the smallest of areas saving on storage space.
Several organisations have now deployed the new Compact 2 Track including the South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust and others involved in emergency medical services.
MD  Jon Ellis said: “The new Compact 2 Track chair has proved popular with medical and emergency professionals and the feedback has been very positive with regards to its ergonomic attributes.“
The foot bar on the Compact 2 allows patients to sit in a comfortable position during transfer and the one-piece seat and back panel provides support to the lower back. Made in wipe clean, vinyl-coated, flame-retardant nylon, the panel may be removed for cleaning or replacement.
Standard features include:

• Height-adjustable rear handle - to accommodate operators of different stature
• Reduces stooping, thereby reducing risk of manual handling injuries
• Improves transportation over rough ground
• Improves posture and ease of moving chair up and down vehicle ramps
• Simple attachment of track - transforms chair into a tracked chair for downstairs transfers
• Attachable track - minimises weight of equipment that needs to be carried
• Single chair fulfilling multiple uses, no longer require a carry chair and track chair

Happy 50th Birthday Alan!

Our operations director, Alan Clark, turned 50 yesterday and to mark the occasion we bought him this fantastic cake.

As he was on holiday yesterday we presented the cake today.

Alan has recently had a summer house built at the bottom of his garden which has become his pride and joy and so it only seemed right that we had the cake designed around that.

The photo in the background is a little cheeky dig from some of the Ferno team who have listened to many conversations and day by day details of the summerhouse build from Alan.

We guess he’s having the last laugh now though with the weather as it has been these past few days!

Happy Birthday Alan, from all at Ferno!

Ferno heads to Brighton for Search & Rescue exhibition

Search and rescue operations cover a wide range of situations – from distressed individuals in air-sea rescue and mountain rescue to combat search and rescue in conflict zones and the mass rescue of whole communities in disaster and humanitarian operations.

Today, we are at the Search and Rescue Conference and Exhibition 2013 in Brighton where we have a selection of our innovative equipment, including stretchers and immobilisation devices, on show.  Our rescue equipment and evacuation products are made for all eventualities; designed, developed and built to assist in the most demanding rescue conditions.

Well equipped air and maritime craft can make all the difference in search and rescue operations and with tactics evolving constantly it is important that Ferno is developing products which offer real solutions to problems faced by those in the field. Exhibitions like this one in Brighton give our team the perfect opportunity to demonstrate the equipment we manufacture as well as meet face to face with those who use it day in, day out, and ensure we are delivering products which meet their needs.

Aside from the exhibition, expert speakers from the UK and abroad will be addressing key issues surrounding search and rescue on both a national and global scale.

Pictured here is Bruce Whitaker, Managing Director of Ferno Canada and Traverse Rescue (right) and Brent  Fairweather , Vice President for International Sales at Traverse Rescue. Mark Richards from Ferno UK is also attending the event with them.

Steve Kerr set to expands sales of ACETECH in the UK

A big Ferno welcome to Steve Kerr who has joined us as a business development manager and will focus on managing and developing key accounts and developing the sales of ACETECH, our fully integrated vehicle intelligence system and electrical control system for ambulances and other emergency response vehicles.
ACETECH provides on-board vehicle intelligence to improve vehicle efficiency and safety, whilst reducing operating and fuel costs.
Steve joins Ferno from ATSR, a Ferno Group company based in Southern Ireland, where he was employed as the UK Sales Manager for the ACETECH product.
In his new role Steve will be responsible for developing sales of ACETECH and Ferno’s customer relationships with vehicle builders where Steve has significant experience. The business benefits means that the UK sales of ACETECH will be credited to Ferno which will make it simpler and quicker for UK customers to order products or spares parts.
MD Jon Ellis said: “Steve brings an extensive knowledge of the Acetech product line and an in-depth understanding of the emergency vehicle market and the challenges manufacturers and ambulance services face in cutting costs and running their vehicle fleets as efficiently as possible.
“Steve joins Ferno during an exciting period in its development as we continue to introduce a wide range of patient transport innovations and continue to grow our market share in the UK.”
The ACETECH system is the first of its kind for UK emergency vehicles and inter-connects four key modules that offer customised monitoring and control of all vehicle electronics - driving, driver restraint systems, GPS-based monitoring and control of fleet vehicle assets in the field.
ACETECH also integrates Radio Frequency Identification-based tracking and security for all vehicle equipment assets as well as ECO-Run monitoring and control of fuel consumption idling. The system is available for new vehicle builds and can be easily retrofitted on older vehicles.
The full ACETECH system provides constant, real-time, actionable information on a wide range of data points including vehicle status and location; equipment location; driving behavior with event status and duration; occupant restraint status, engine status and fuel consumption. Using this data as a whole allows emergency fleet managers to take full control of asset placement in the field, increase emergency vehicle driver and occupant safety, and reduce operational and fuel costs.