County coroner requests power cot, different vehicle

Pulaski County Coroner Jennifer Johns explained at a recent joint commissioner and council meeting that she is requesting a different vehicle and a power cot for the safety of herself as well as others on scene. The current coroner vehicle is a larger, older van. Johns said that she has had some difficulty getting the vehicle into some tight spots on cases. The van also sits higher, so she said it can be challenging to lift a body that is on the cot into the vehicle. In regards to the power cot, Johns said that herself and an officer had been injured trying to lift the cot that they are using now. She said that they have had some smashed fingers and Johns broke her foot. She said she was going to put the cot in and I couldn't hold onto it anymore. After tabling the matter, the commissioners voted on June 17 to approve purchasing the power loading system in the amount of $36,000 plus $817.29 for shipping and with no maintenance agreement. It passed unanimously. That will be paid out of the ARPA money.