Taking Deployment to the Next Level

• 2008 May 1

Charlie Darling, president and CEO of North Coast Outfitters Ltd., began designing the Charlie’s Horse Deployment System in 1996, long before the terrorist attacks of 9/11. After serving as a consultant to the Marine Corps Systems Command on the development of their Forward Resuscitative Surgical System (FRSS), Darling believed high-quality medical care should be readily available to areas desperate for those services after a major incident.

The ideal deployment response should be able to:

• Be operationally independent for at least 72 hours or more. 
• Deploy by any available means, such as roads that remain traversable by four-wheel-drive pick-up trucks or military vehicles, available aircraft, including rotorcraft, or boats;
• Deploy worldwide within 24 hours and become virtually operational within one hour of hitting the ground by whatever means delivered using any available space;
• Depend entirely on manpower rather than heavy equipment, such as forklifts, to move components and make them operational. A single responder should be able to move up to 750 lbs. of equipment;
• Fit the needs of the emergency, becoming capable of treating dozens to hundreds of patients;
• Deliver basic, optimal patient management from triage through staged resuscitative surgical management; and
• Deploy and become operational so easily that monthly or quarterly training doesn’t become overly burdensome for involved agencies and their personnel.    

Darling was also concerned with the fact that manufacturers were making and selling products without a complete understanding of the need. He designed his systems from the ground up to include multi-functional carts, stretcher platforms and cargo containers that make deploying a massive amount of equipment simple and seemingly effortless.

The mission statement of North Coast Outfitters Ltd. clearly presents the company’s goal: “Provide the highest-quality equipment to those dedicated individuals who risk their lives protecting our freedom and assuring our safety.” 

Darling believes that every customer must have their needs understood and met. He is also committed to seeing that his clients spend their funds effectively. 

“I want my clients to buy what they need. They should tailor their response to meet the specific needs of their community in order to make a true impact and save lives,” Darling says. Because of this philosophy, North Coast Outfitters Ltd. doesn’t utilize dealers or distributors to sell the Charlie’s Horse Deployment System or the MERF; instead the company itself ensures each system is individually designed and delivered to meet each customer’s specific needs.“We do not sell products to our customers; we provide solutions to meet their needs,” Darling says. “Our equipment is our sales force.” 

It is this philosophy that caused Darling to bring together an outstanding group of like-minded companies to form the MERF team. The 10 partners that provided the necessary equipment used in the MERF are all highly respected and successful companies that helped make one man’s vision a reality. The partners include:  

• Aseptico Inc.
• Carleton Life Support
• Global Hydration Treatment Systems Inc.
• Impact Instrumentation Inc.
• Mid-Atlantic Telerad Inc. 
• North Coast Outfitters Ltd.
• Oceanic Medical Products Inc.
• SeQual Technologies Inc.
• SonoSite Inc.
• Welch Allyn Inc.    

This partnership has made the Charlie’s Horse Deployment System and the MERF the most technologically advanced and easily transported mobile medical-care facility in the world. This cohesive team illustrates what can be achieved by like-minded individuals and corporations working together toward a common goal.

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