Local Inventor Unveils New Rescue Sled

A Milton-based first responder has unveiled a new vehicle for carrying out winter rescues. 

The Storm Emergency Linkable Lifesaving Apparatus or STELLA for short is a snow rescue sled designed by Dan Tuller — a former safety officer and volunteer fire fighter in the Town of Milton. 

Tuller was joined by local responders and elected officials at an event unveiling the new vehicle in Milton on Oct. 21. The new vehicle is a towable sled which is designed to assist in evacuations and emergency response during harsh winter conditions. It has capacity for eight people and can accommodate a full-size stretcher if need be — along with other emergency implements. 

Tuller said the idea for the sled came to him after seeing how emergency responders in Buffalo found themselves unable to answer calls due to an extreme winter storm in Dec. 2022. This storm killed 47 people region-wide with 31 of those deaths occurring in Buffalo alone. 

After the storm, Tuller said he looked at the market and realized there wasn’t a rescue sled that could transport more than one or two people. In addition, these sleds would be exposed to the elements.

“The first responders faced unprecedented challenges leading to periods where emergency response was effectively halted because vehicles and crews could not reach those in need, and often the rescuers required rescue themselves,” Tuller said.  “As a father, a husband and a son, I was shocked to consider that weather, an archaic and annual experience could still have such a tragic impact in a modern society.” 

Tuller said it took him and those he worked with only seven months to build the first prototype and that the sled is patent pending. He also said that the sled is modular depending on the end users’ needs. 

According to Tuller, the skis of the sled can be swapped for wheels, the inside can be reconfigured for different patients, the hitch can be swapped to be towed by different vehicles, and multiple sleds can be linked together and towed. He also said that the vehicle “rides like a Cadilac” owing to the suspension coming from a Cadilac Escalade SUV. 

Tuller’s product received high praise from several elected officials including State Senator James Tedisco who said he planned on taking the design to several government agencies and Milton Town Supervisor Scott Ostrander who called the device a “game changer.” 

“People’s lives are at stake, and this right here is going to save people’s lives,” Ostrander said.  “Dan, I can’t say enough, this is a game changer for us as a community.” 

In terms of cost, Tuller said he anticipates the STELLA will cost around $100,000 but that he expects that departments will be able to get the funds to purchase through grants and other outside funding.

As for the orange color of the STELLA, Tuller said that it came from a discussion he had with a first responder in Buffalo who suggested it in order to stand out against the snow. 

The name “STELLA” in addition to being an acronym was also used to honor his cat who died of breast cancer shortly before he started designing the sled.