Heavy-Duty Slideout Trays for Your Truck

Protect Yourself with an Organized and Safe Service Vehicle

August 23, 2019

Protect Yourself with an Organized and Safe Service Vehicle

For those who utilize service vehicles to perform their jobs, the probability of suffering a workplace injury is high. In fact, the top worker compensation claims involve overexertion and repetitive stress injuries, as well as slips, trips, and falls. These types of injuries result in lost work, decreased productivity, and increased health care costs — and in the worst case a life-long disability.

Service vehicles present many opportunities for these injuries to occur, especially if the vehicles are disorganized or the job requires workers to utilize heavy equipment. Even lighter equipment that must be lifted and transported regularly can result in an injury. Sliding equipment out to you rather than reaching into vehicles is proven to reduce injuries and worker’s compensation claims. Eliminating even one back injury can pay for an entire fleet of Extendobeds.

Equipment Access

A sliding bed in any service vehicle makes equipment access easy and safe regardless of size. While heavy equipment provides the greatest risk to employees, the repetitive motion of moving smaller equipment is also dangerous. Having to reach into a truck bed or van does not allow for the use of proper lifting technique and will no doubt lead to an injury. It’s not a matter of if it will happen, it’s simple a question of when.

Our sliding beds assist with any equipment and storage needs. They help protect employees from objects falling, as well as prevent slips, trips, and falls that result from accessing equipment or putting it away when tired or in a hurry.

Vehicle Entry/Exit Injury Prevention

A common but often overlooked cause of injuries is the simple act of entering and exiting a vehicle throughout the day to access equipment, tools, paperwork, and other job-related items. Stepping into and out of a vehicle leads to bruises, falls, and repetitive stress injuries. Shuffling around for items in a disorganized space opens the door for random injuries such as cutting your hand on a tool while trying to locate something in a dark space. Bruised shins and knees are common, leaving employees sore and distracted by pain — and opening the door to even more serious injuries.

Customized Extendobeds are a simple solution to these problems. They bring the equipment to you in a safe and secure manner. Whether added to a truck, van, or SUV, these beds will protect you and your employees. We have five sliding beds designed to meet various needs and that offer 75% to over 100% extension and hold 300 to 3,000 lbs., including:

Customer Testimonials

Our customers will attest to the increased safety our solutions provide. See the following testimonials:

“I work for one of the largest municipal owned utility companies. In the last 7 years we have installed 60-70 Extendobeds in different types of trucks. Of that number, we finally had one go down. One bearing gave out … after receiving a replacement bearing, it took less than an hour to repair it. Your product has us wondering how we got along without it. We have a better safety record now with no back injuries due to climbing into our utility trucks.”
– E. Peltz

“I love this thing! And so does everyone that sees it. Some of my co-workers are just one more bashed shin (from climbing into their trucks and slipping) from buying one. Me, and my shins, thank you!”
– T. Hall

Don’t wait for an injury to occur before you learn how we can help keep you and your employees safe. Injuries of all types can and will impact your bottom line and could destroy your business. Avoid the risk of an injury creating lifelong pain and suffering for you and your employees.

To learn how a custom Extendobed solution can meet your specific needs, email us at: websales@extendobed.com.

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Accessorize Your Mobile Working Environment for Optimal Efficiency

July 25, 2019

Accessorize Your Mobile Working Environment for Optimal Efficiency

There is no limit to the number and types of accessories available to customize mobile working environments. Regardless of your role within fire, law enforcement, or industrial services, there are dozens of accessories designed to make your work life easier — and they just might save a life.

Efficiency is of paramount importance at Extendobed. We know that efficiency not only helps professionals and law enforcement officers do their jobs but can also be the difference between life and death. With over 30 years’ experience designing and fabricating custom solutions to meet individual and department-specific needs, our dedication to excellence has cemented our position as a leading provider of mobile working environment accessories.

Solutions for Chevy Tahoes, Chevy Suburbans, and Ford Explorers include accessories for on-the-go offices, attachments that help save space, and fixtures to support mobile command centers.

Offices On The Go

Accessories for mobile offices include the following:

Evidence boxes — Properly preserving evidence is essential to protecting information related to job execution, a perpetrator’s guilt, and victim advocacy. Our aluminum-wrapped lockers allow for evidence preservation and support chain of custody requirements.
Bookcase enclosures — These enclosures help you keep information, procedures, and forms in a single convenient location to ensure that process and procedural requirements are met.
Drawers — All drawers are full extension and are standard with slam latches. Locking file drawers provide quick access to information, as well as security; drawers with dividers allow you to store critical documents more economically; and a drawer housing a power lift map board provides an instant command center for improved accountability.

Space Savers

Space-saving attachments include:

Backboard/stokes slot — The equipment necessary to perform your job should not create problems but it often does. Add backboard accessories to accommodate multiple boards or stokes basket slots to simplify storage, create ease of access, and maximize your space.
Bottle racks — SBCA cylinders not only take up a good amount of space but can also be dangerous items to transport if not properly secured. Our bottle racks solve this problem by keeping cylinders organized and contained.
Cone storage racks — Cone storage racks make efficient storage of large, cumbersome traffic cones simple.

Command Centers

Fixtures that support mobile command centers include:

Dry-erase backsplash — Optimize your command center and keep it separate from your gear. A dry-erase backsplash allows you to focus on what needs to be done and when it needs to be done.
Dry-erase top surface — A modern-day chalkboard on the move lets you communicate with teams in a cohesive and time-sensitive manner while collecting data in a unified space and brainstorming solutions and actions based on real-time intelligence.
Easel board assemblies — Magnetic steel with a porcelain-coated, dry-erase surface hangs on an angle frame to give teams multiple points of communication and separate tracking options. These boards fold for easy storage.

Accessory Installation and Warranty

Our durable and unique accessories are not only customized for our clients but also installed with care by trained representatives. Our products are guaranteed up to 20 years because we know they can last that long. In fact, some of our products manufactured in 1987 when we opened our doors are still in use.

The proper accessories allow you to quickly and efficiently do your job. You will know where all your equipment and paperwork are stored every day in your office on the go. No more “looking for lost keys” because you will be organized and prepared for any situation you encounter.

If the accessories highlighted in this article don’t meet your mobile workstation needs, we have many more that are featured on our website and in our catalog. If we don’t have what you are looking for, we will make it!

To learn how a custom Extendobed solution can meet your specific needs, email us at: websales@extendobed.com.

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How SWAT and Bomb Units Stay Effective and Keep People Safe

June 19, 2019

How SWAT and Bomb Units Stay Effective and Keep People Safe

SWAT teams and bomb units are highly trained, and they require specialized equipment to do their jobs safely and effectively. When these teams are called in, they face tense, time-sensitive situations — and seconds matter.

Developed in the 1960s by the Los Angeles Police Department, SWAT teams now exist in 90% of cities with a population of more than 50,000 residents. That translates to around 1,200 police department-coordinated SWAT teams.

Bomb squads are trained to handle and safely dispose of potentially explosive materials, and they deal with more than just intentionally fabricated bombs. A bomb squad may also handle fireworks, dangerous chemical combinations, and accidents involving volatile or combustible materials. These specialized teams are full-time forces, sometimes supplemented by reserve officers, and they work with local law enforcement to keep communities safe.

Having well-organized and easy-to-access equipment in their mobile units makes SWAT teams and bomb units safer and more effective. Let’s consider what the field might look like for these crisis specialists.

What Emerging Scenes Look Like

SWAT stands for Specialized Weapons and Tactics. These teams respond to a variety of dangerous situations. For example, a SWAT team might be called in to a hostage situation, in which innocent people are in a vulnerable position between law enforcement and suspects. These types of situations are rarely clear cut, and they often include rapidly changing environments and many unknowns.

SWAT teams may also be called to assist with crowd control or dispersal during events where a large number of people congregate, including rallies, marches, and sport gatherings. In each of these settings, there’s a real possibility of a riot breaking out. Law enforcement units with specialized training designed to keep crowds safe are sometimes the difference between a peaceful gathering and a dangerous public incident. Other circumstances include active shooter scenarios, barricaded suspects, and counterterrorism situations.

For bomb squads, circumstances can vary broadly. Someone may call in a bomb threat to a school, shopping center, or other populated public location, prompting immediate mobilization, evacuation, and slow, careful implementation of safety protocols. Traffic accidents or job site accidents may also require a bomb squad.

Bomb squads and SWAT teams each have their own specialized tools and equipment, which must be safely transported in the correct quantities and in a neatly organized and accessible fashion.

Specialized Tools

You’ll find SWAT teams carrying specific equipment such as advanced imaging tools to see where people are inside a building, body armor and shields, and specialized gas. Each tool they carry addresses the safety of the SWAT officer, the people involved in the incident, and bystanders. In addition, SWAT team members use standard law enforcement equipment such as evidence collection kits, first aid medical supplies, and weapons.

Bomb squads use robots that are specifically designed to approach potential — and actual — explosives. They also utilize x-ray equipment, special suiting material to protect their specialists, containment vessels, and much more specialized materials. Incident locations are diverse and often unpredictable, so getting each situation under control quickly and safely is the top priority.

Because of the wide variation of circumstances that SWAT teams and bomb squads encounter, safety, organization, reliability, and quick access to equipment are of the utmost importance. Custom organizational solutions go a long way in helping ensure a safe and effective work environment for these law enforcement units.

Organization and Reliable Storage Complement Specialized Training

In high-pressure situations where circumstances change from moment to moment, being able to access the right tool makes a big difference — not just for efficiency but also for safety. If a barricaded individual suddenly threatens a hostage, officers need to be able to locate, activate, and deploy the correct tool to neutralize the situation with speed and ease.

A custom-built solution such as Extendobed’s Collier Unit (pictured below) — which includes a narrow tool rack with containment caging and a safety screen, a special weapons box, and a small table and bookcase enclosure — can ensure effective deployment, control, and communication in any circumstance. Likewise, Extendobed’s Henderson Bomb Unit (pictured below) features a uniquely configured upper platform with a safety screen and second shelf, an ATF Type-3 day box/explosives box, a locking compartment on the driver’s side, and a locking weapons drawer.

Collier Unit

Henderson Bomb Unit

Each Extendobed installation caters directly to each team’s needs and accounts for equipment, chain of custody, and officer and community safety. To learn how a custom Extendobed solution can meet your needs, email us at: websales@extendobed.com.

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Organization and Planning Actually Save Lives

April 11, 2019

Organization and Planning Actually Save Lives

Firefighting crews are some of the most well-organized, tightly controlled teams in the world. Having a plan, the right tools, a team that backs each other up, and reliable equipment are all essential aspects of an effective firefighting team. The final piece is efficient communication, which is where command centers come in.

A mobile command center brings the power of a brick and mortar command location right to the front lines, where crews can take control of dangerous incidents. Therefore, a mobile command center can help meet the challenges of emergency response more efficiently — here’s how.

Command Centers Create and Maintain Accountability

Commanders are responsible for the lives of their firefighters in addition to control of incidents, so organization is a top priority. Thus, having the necessary tools on-hand and easily accessible helps to respond to changing conditions. Custom command centers allow commanders to control the entire incident site from one location.

Extendobed’s mobile command centers usually consist of:

file drawers,
bookcase enclosures,
map boards,
removable magnetic command easels,
pencil trays,
fold-down work tables,
and slideout mounting walls for equipment such as self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) tanks.

We’ve been building these types of products for the fire service. We know how to build them to withstand the intense rigors required for this industry.

Access Can Mean Life or Death

An organized custom mobile command center can be the difference between life and death. Taking extra time to find equipment or extract it from a messy vehicle could easily mean rescuers don’t reach victims in time to save their lives.

Every critical incident is unique, which is part of what makes firefighting a dangerous occupation. Wildfires behave differently depending on what grasses, trees, and other plants are burning — and depending on the constantly shifting weather conditions. Homes are built from various materials, and some homes contain more explosive hazards than others; thus fire will behave differently for each structure. Extraction tools and firefighter gear differ from incident to incident, so quick and reliable access to gear and tools is critical.

Fire, Fatalities, and Success Stories

Fighting fires and responding to other dangerous incidents will always involve risk. However, firefighters can take a variety of precautions, from improved equipment to well-planned executable strategies, to reduce danger and keep crews and the public safer.

Back in 2004, the “Everyone Goes Home” Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives were developed to better protect and prepare firefighting crews. In 2004, 107 firefighters lost their lives in the line of duty. In 2017, according to FEMA, the number was down to 86. Because of the implementation of Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives, the number of lives lost has reduced, and the continued advancements in equipment, planning, and accountability strategies has increased.

Example Implementations

In Clinton, Michigan, the Clinton Township Fire Department’s custom Extendobed solution allows access to equipment, coolers, air tanks, and other tools from every angle. Easy access means not wasting seconds running around the vehicle or having to park in a specific orientation. Access from all angles also improves efficiency during organization, stocking, cleaning, and repacking.

Another of our customers benefits from a custom Extendobed that helps perform fire pump testing and maintenance. Their 2,000-pound capacity slideout unit, built into their Ford F-250 Service Body truck, makes it easier to access hoses, pipes, and other equipment.

It’s clear from feedback we get from real firefighting crews that good organization for equipment and supplies is a real and continuing issue. We provide custom solutions that support firefighters, from the command center all the way to the fire line.

To read more from happy customers, check out our Facebook page. To get started on your own custom solutions, email us at: websales@extendobed.com or request a quote online today!

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The Power of an Organized Workspace

April 02, 2019

The Power of an Organized Workspace

It’s frustrating to have trouble finding a specific tool when you need it. But in some industries, there’s more at stake than just frustration. If you work in a specialized trade such as law enforcement, fire mitigation, or construction/repair, easily finding your tools could be the difference between life and death.

Maintaining your workspace in an organized and efficient manner has numerous benefits. These include the ability to control costs, increase output, and manage your equipment maintenance and replacement more effectively.

Different Applications, Similar Needs

Extendobed offers a variety of specialized options and accessories for specific applications. These options can be purchased separately or customized to meet customers’ needs and budgets. In either case, these setups help your employees do their jobs more efficiently.

In law enforcement, special equipment can include weapons and ammunition, explosives, materials to gather evidence, and highly trained K-9 dogs. Weapons, ammunition, and explosives can be safely stored in weapons drawers, custom compartments, and day boxes for easy access when needed. Evidence presents its own challenges: it must be collected carefully and stored securely in locking compartments, as chain of custody is crucial. Other specialized equipment must also be safely stored during transport. For example, K-9 dogs should be safely transported in secure kennels during incidents of high-speed travel and over different types of terrain.

In fire mitigation, where minutes are a matter of life and death, specialized equipment must be secure and quickly accessible. Special equipment and storage include:

magnetic and/or dry erase accountability boards in stand-alone and drawer pop-up configurations;
slide-out walls for fast, easy access to self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) mounts and hand tools;
custom structures for easy access to extrication and rescue equipment;
file drawers for information organization;
and multiple levels of storage for transport of larger equipment including awnings, coolers, stokes baskets, and backboards.

In construction, tools must be secured for both safety and to deter attempted theft. Generators, compressors, and other large portable equipment can be stored on slide-out trays so they are easy to access and remove from the vehicle. Hand tools, fasteners, and other small materials can be organized in locking drawers or tool boxes.

Having quick, reliable access to the correct tools isn’t always a matter of life or death in every industry. However, it’s still essential to effective job performance.

Equipment vs. Space

Any vehicle has a limited amount of space available. For some lines of work, this presents an interesting challenge: balancing the right tools and supplies with enough space to transport them. When you can bring only a certain amount of equipment with you, having a well-organized mobile space becomes even more important.

For example, an HVAC technician must be able to service countless combinations of systems — but a few tools are always useful: a cordless drill (and extra batteries), tape measure, hammer, and step ladder. Secure storage for transport ensures items aren’t damaged en route to a job. And organized storage is key for speed and efficiency once on the job site.

In law enforcement, the work isn’t over when the “bad guy” is in handcuffs. Evidence collection, cleanup, and record-keeping all require specialized supplies with specific storage needs.

What Efficiency Looks Like in Practice

Just as different industries have different needs, so do individual customers. Here are a couple of examples of how Extendobed created custom solutions for specific situations.

An electrician who was working for a municipality was injured lifting a piece of equipment out of his work van. His back injury required time off work to heal, as well as physical therapy, before he could return to his duties. As he healed, the question arose of whether he would be able to use the equipment the municipality owned when he returned to work. The municipality contacted Extendobed for a potential solution. Extendobed created a custom slide-out unit to house all of this electrician’s tools and equipment. Each of his tools are now accessible without risking reinjury. Without Extendobed’s solution, the employee could not have returned to work for the municipality.

A commercial door installer used to load and unload doors from his truck manually. Each set of doors took an hour to load and another hour to unload. So no matter how long an actual installation took, he spent two hours per job loading and unloading. His Extendobed allows him to load a full set of doors using a forklift, which saves two to four hours per day, depending on the number of jobs. This time savings has reduced his labor costs, allowing him to lower his bids. This in turn has resulted in more jobs, thereby increasing his revenue. He can also complete more jobs in a day, further adding to his bottom line.

Good Design is Key

A well-designed workspace is crucial to organization and efficiency, especially in specialized industries. Customized solutions exponentially extend the value of an organized and efficient workspace.

To learn how your mobile working environment will benefit from customized organizational solutions, email us at: websales@extendobed.com

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