Alex Slitz/Daily NewsBGFD Firefighter Keith Potts is secured in an Evacusled during the exercise.

Sliding down stairs on a mattress might sound like something bored children try at home for fun, but members of the Bowling Green Fire Department did just that as part of training Friday morning.

The BGFD members were practicing using an Evacusled at Greenview Regional Hospital. An Evacusled is a device used in hospitals during evacuations to move people down stairs.

“It’s fast, and it helps keep the patient safe,” said Capt. Jason Sowders of the BGFD.

In the past, firefighters would simply carry patients out in sheets when having to get them quickly out of a hospital.

“But if you do it like we’ve done it, you might injure them,” Sowders said to the 15 BGFD members gathered in the hospital hallway for the training.

In using an Evacusled, workers pick up the entire mattress when moving the patient and place the mattress and patient onto the sled. The patient is then covered and strapped securely into the sled and one person can pull it down the stairs.

“It wasn’t bad,” said Sgt. Doug Morris after pulling one of his co-workers down the stairs for practice. “I think it would be good to use with people who are non-ambulatory.”

Alan Palmer, marketing director for Greenview, said they purchased the Evacusleds around two years ago and have trained their employees to use them. The hospital has about 30 sleds.

“We have frequent disaster drills,” Palmer said. Greenview is five stories tall and all patients are on the upper floors, so it is very important to train on how to evacuate patients quickly and safely.

In a real emergency situation, Sowders said the department would bring equipment and firefighters up one stairwell while bringing patients down another.

The BGFD conducted two training exercises at the hospital Friday with around 30 people taking part. Sowders said this kind of training is helpful in preparing the firefighters for a real emergency.

“It’s always good for us to get them hands-on experience,” agreed Morris.

And Palmer said that working together with the fire department is a vital part of emergency preparedness.

“It’s tremendously important that we coordinate and work together,” Palmer said. “That coordination could save lives.”