By: Alyssa Ochss | St. Clair Shores Sentinel | Published May 31, 2026
ST. CLAIR SHORES — At its meeting on May 18, the St. Clair Shores City Council voted 5-0 to approve a request to renew the purchase of a service agreement for cots and loaders at the Fire Department.
Councilwoman Candice Rusie and Councilman/Mayor Pro Tem Ronald Frederick were excused for the meeting.
According to items attached to the meeting’s agenda, the department’s emergency medical service units use cots and loaders to provide safe patient transport and moving.
“These power stretchers and loaders are both safer for the patients and prevent injuries to staff,” the agenda item stated. “These items are highly specialized, and repairs can get costly if not covered under warranty and/or service agreement.”
The service agreement allows for two years of preventative maintenance and replacement parts at no cost. The agreement also covers travel costs, battery replacements and labor. The cost for both years is $33,731.40.
Lt. Kevin Kraus presented the item at the meeting. The vendor is Stryker.
“These systems are used daily by our EMS and are critical for patient care and firefighter safety,” Kraus said.
He said entering into the agreement is in the best interest of the city because it helps control repair costs, reduces unexpected expenses and minimizes equipment downtime.
Councilman Dave Rubello asked if the firefighters have problems with the cots locking up. Kraus said there are safety features such as a manual mode that help if there are any power problems.
“I was just wondering if the St. Clair Shores Fire Department, if you guys have ever had any issues with these things and if those are actually the best ones to get,” Rubello said.
Kraus said currently the department’s entire fleet uses Stryker loaders and cots.
“There are a couple (other vendors) out there. There’s a service rep that actually reached out to me recently that would like to demo some of their stuff, but obviously to do a complete changeover would be very, very costly,” Kraus said.
Councilman John Caron asked if other equipment out there operates similarly to the items they have now.
“Would it be easy enough to cross-train personnel to use both or (are) the controls so different that you wouldn’t want to have that difference in an emergency situation?” Caron asked.
Kraus said he only knows of one other company that does something similar, but he hasn’t demoed any of its equipment.
“They’re newer to the game when it comes to the power stuff,” Kraus said.
He said he did agree to the demo, but he reiterated that it would be extremely costly to change over everything.
Caron said it’s not a matter of switching everything over, but if they buy a new ambulance that it could be optional equipment.
“That’s something you just can take back and look into,” Caron said. “But you got to meet with them first and see the demo.”
He said they wouldn’t run into a situation where the equipment is completely different than what they’re used to. Kraus said they are careful to make sure everything is the same across the board, so the staff is using the same equipment regardless of the vehicle being used.
“We’re hesitant to do a halfway switch over because we don’t want that medic at 3 a.m. not having that muscle memory,” Kraus said.
The Fire Department also uses Stryker for defibrillators and automated external defibrillators, but those items are covered under a separate contract through a third-party company which Kraus said is a lot cheaper.