Patent ID: 8534732

Claim:
A combination cot loading and fastening system for loading and unloading an ambulance cot into an emergency rescue vehicle, the vehicle having an opening providing access to the transport deck, said system comprising: a pair of tracks mountable to the transport deck of the emergency vehicle and having a first and second ends, and a longitudinal length extending from the first end to second end, said second end being located adjacent but inward of the opening of the vehicle, said tracks having opposing channels; a shuttle assembly engaged for movement in said opposing channels of the pair of tracks and configured to securely pull the ambulance cot along the pair of tracks, the shuttle assembly comprising a frame having a first end, a second end, and a longitudinal body extending from the first end to the second end; and a locking mechanism mounted on said shuttle assembly and configured to releasably hold the ambulance cot, wherein the shuttle assembly is configured to position the locking mechanism a distance away from the second end of the pair of tracks and at an angle below the transport deck of the emergency rescue vehicle; and wherein said shuttle assembly provides three points of attachment to the ambulance cot.