Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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P N pER o
~~round:of the TnvPn~~on;
The pxe~ent invention relates to a device for transporting
injured persons, in particular winter--sports casualties. The
present inventioxx also re~.ates to a system for transporting
to winter-sports casua~.ties.
Zt is known for winter-sports casualties~to be rescued by
means of rescue sleds, such as toboggans or kayaks, When a
rescue sled has to be used, at least one mountain rescuer
fetches such a sled from the va7.ley statioz~ or the mountain
e'Cation of a cableway system, where the sled is parked, and
transports it to Che scene of the accident. Consequently, the
injured person is transported; by means of the reBCue sled, to
a location, iri paxt~.cular the. valley station of~ the cableway
ZO system,. where he/she can be picked up by a resCUe vehicle.
tae can be gathered from the above explanations, the known
rescue meaauzes involve complicated organization insofar as a
rescue sled has to be transported to the scene of the accident
from a certain location at which it is parked..Thie
requirement can make the rescue operation much more difficult
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and,'. in particul$r, slow it down. In addition, the task of
transporting the injuxed person.away by means of the rescue
sled is physically and psychologically taxing.
The diaadvan-tages given above can indeed be avoided ~.n a
maj orit,y of cases by using rescue helicoptex~e .' However, the
use of rescue, helicopters is limited. On the ane hand,
favorabl.e~ weather conditions are needed and, oz~ the other
handy a landing site is required in the vicinity of the~scene
to of the accident.
The object of the invention isa o proYide 2~ device and system
for transporting injured persons, in particular winter-sports
casualties, which overcomes the above-noted deficieacies.and~
disadvantages of the prior art devices and methods of this
kind:
-. With the above and other objects in view there is provide, in
Zo accordance with the invention, a device of transporting
injured persons, which comprises a rescue cab, the rescue cab
having a coupling configuration foz coupling the rescue cab to
a slope-grooming vehicle.
The invention is based on the finding that vehicles wh~,ch,
although not intended for transporting injured persons, can be
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used for,thie purpose as soon ae they are correspondingly
equipped are available at many locations. This applies, in
particular, to ski-rune, which regularly have snowcats fslope-
grooming vehicles) a.nd the like driving over them in order to
S prepare them.
In other words, the objects of the invention are satisfied.
with a resCUe cab that is designed with an configuration fox
couplir~g it to a slope-grooming vehicle. Such rescue eabe.can
to be parked in regions in which.they may be required, in
particular at the sides of ski-runs, and, in the case of a
rescue operation being necessary, they are coupled to the
slope-grooming vehicle which.is close t to the scene o~f the
acc~.dent arid transported to~the latter by means of the elope--
15 grooming vehicle. Once the injured person has been moved into
the rescue.Cab, he/she is transported to a rescue vehicle or .
to a xescue helicopCer by means of the slope-grooming vehicle.
_ This system allows injured pex'sons to be rescued much more
20 quickly and carefully than has been the ease hitherto by meat~.s
of known rescue sleds.
In accordance with an added feature of the invention, the
coupling configuration of the. xeecue cab is adapted to be
25, coupled to the clearing blade of the slope-.grooming vehicle.
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In accordance with an additional feature of the invention, the
rescue cab includes a.covering hood pivotally mounted between
a closed position and an open position. The cover-ing hood is
pzeferably pxoduced from txansparent material.
S
Tn accordance with another feature of the invention, the
rescue cab is .formed with a mounting configuration for
receiving a stretchez or a rescue sled.. In addition, a apace
for receiving objects, in pazticular eauipment of the injured
l0 person, may be provided in the rescue cab, underneath the
configuration for xecei~ing the stretcher oz the rescue sled.
In accordance with a further feature of the invention, the
mounting configuration for receiving the etretchez or the
15 rescue sled is formed with rails along which the stretcher or
sled can be displaced and locked. In accordance with again an
added feature of the invention, it is possible to provide, in
the rescue cab, alongside the,configuxativn for receiving the
- stzetcher yr the rescue sled, in the longitudinal direction of
2o the same, a space for an accompanying person.
Tn order for it to be possible for the rescue.cab to be
coupled to the slope-grooming vEhicle in a straightforward
manner, the rescue cab may be designed with a configuration
?5 which can be coupled to the top border ef the clearing blade.
In particular., the rescue cab may be designed with at least
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two hooks which are open in the downward direction, grip over
the top border o~ the cleaxing blade, and are attached with
locking bolts.
with. the above and other objebts in view there ie also
provided. in accordance with the invention, a syatem,f.or
rescuing winter-sports casualties, which comprises:
a< plurality of rescue cabs according to the above summary
strategically placed at a ski area;
a slope-grooming vehicle for carxying, i~ required, One of the.
rescue cabs to an accident scene and for transporting an
injured person in the rescue cab for further medical
attention.
Furthermore, there is also provided, a method of reacuirig an
injured skiez, which comprises strategically distributing a-
pluxahity of the above-outline rescue cabs about a ski area,
attaching one the rescue cabs to a slope,grooming vehicle,.
placing a stretcher or a rescue sled with an injured skier
2o into the rescue cab and transporting the skier within the
reBCUe cab Eox further medical attention.
Other features which are considered as characteristic xor the
invention are set forth in the appended claims_
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Although the invention is illustrated and described herein as
embodied in an installation for transporting injured persons,
it is~nevertheless riot intended to be. limited to the details
shown, since various modifications and structural changes may
be made.therein without departing from the spirit of the
invention and Within the scope and range of equivalents of the
claims.
1o The construction and method of operation of the invention,
however, together with additional objects and advantages
thereef will be best understood fxom the following deecripCion
of sQecific embodiments when read i.n connection with the
accompanying drawings.
~ef~~~~ F~f thp Dr~wincs:
Fig. 1 ip a aide v~,ew of a elope-grooming vehicle with a
re8cue cab fastened thereon;
zo Fig. 2 is a slightly enlarged side view of the rescue cab
shown is Fig. ~.;
Fig. 3 is a front view of the rescue cab;
Figs. 3A and 3H are eectional:views of the rescue cab..taken
along the section line III-zzI in.Fig. 3;
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Fig. 4 is a partly seCtianal aide view of a coupling
configuration; and
Fig. 4A is an elevational view of the coupling configuration
as viewed- in the direction of the arrow 8 of Fig. 4.
~e6C~~~~on Of the Pr f~rrpyFmhn~imAn~u-
Fig. 1 illustxatea a slope~grooming vehicle 1 which has a.
clearing blade 11 to which a rescue cab ~ is coupled.~The
rescue cab ~ is designed with;a covering hood ~1 which, as is
illustrated in Fig. 2, can be pivoted from a position in which
it closes~off the rescue cab 2 into an open poaition,~as a
result of which it ie possible to enter the rescue cab. 'The
critical factor foz allowing.the rescue cab ~ to be faetened.
en the clearing blade 11 of the slope-grooming vehicle 1 is
that the covering hood 21 be produced from transpazent
material, as a result of which the view of the driver of the
shops-grooming vehicle 1 is only slightly obstructed.
~o
The design of the rescue cab 2 is explained herein-below with
reference to Figs. 3, 3A and 3H. Ae can be seen from these,
the xescue cab 2 has a length of, approximately 3 m, ae a
result of .which iC i5 long enough to accommodate a stretcher
~5 ~Z or a rescue sled 23 for an injured person and an
accompanying person, e.g. a paramedic. Fig. 3A illustrates a
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rescue cab 2 with a stretcher 2Z, whereas Fig. 3H illustrates
a°rescue cab 2 with a rescue sled 23..It should be noted here
that, for those accident scenes to which a slope-groomxrtg
vehicle cannot gain access, it may be necessary to use a
rescue sled Z3_ In spite of this, it ~.s advantageous fog the
el,ope~grooming vehic~.e to be.uaed for the rest of the
~trangpo.rtatiort since the trai~zsportation takes place much more
safely than by means of a rescue sled and, in addition; there
.is also sufficient space for an accompanying pexsozi in the
to rescue Cab,
The zescue cab 2.is designed with.guides along which the
:stzetcher,22 or the rescue sled 23 cax~ be displaced. located
;beneath the gu~.des ~.s a space 24, for recei~ring objects, e.g.
the equipment of the sports casualty. The covering zl of the
rescue aab Z ie pzoduced fzom trs.nsparent mater~,a~., in
particular f7rom a composite glass/plaetic material. This matkes
~it possible to view the interior of the rescue cab 2 and to
_ see out of the latter, as required. In addition, it is also
possible tv see through the rescue cab 2, as a result of which
the rescue cab ~ dpee not obstrucC the view of the driver of
the slope-grooming vehicle 1.
Referring now to Figs. 4 az~d 4A, there is provided a coupling
2S configuration on the rear side of the rescue Cab 2. the
coupling cor~figurati,on comprises two hooks 41 which :are
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ar=a.aged an a supporting game Zo of the rescue cab 2 and are
assigned locking bolts 4Z. As soon as these hooks 4l have. been
positioned on the top border o.f the clearing blade 11 of the
slope-grooming vehicle 1 and have been fixed by means of the
locking bolts 42, which pass through through-passages in the
clearing blade 11, the rescue cab 2 ie fastened on the slope-
grooming vehicle I-
Tha slppe-grooming vehicle 1 can then transport the rescue cab
IO 2,: accommodating an injuxed person, ro a rescue vehicle that
may by. waiting, say, in the valley station.
i
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