Iron Duck Backboards

Backboards are the workhorses of emergency spinal immobilization — the flat, rigid platform that stabilizes a patient's spine during extrication, transfer, and transport. This collection features Iron Duck backboards (models 35850-OD and 35850-Y), built for the demands of EMS crews, fire departments, water rescue teams, and hospital transport.

If you're outfitting an ambulance or rescue unit, the questions that matter are durability, cleanability, and compatibility with your immobilization straps and head blocks. Iron Duck boards are constructed from high-density polyethylene that resists cracking under load and stands up to repeated decontamination — a non-porous surface that won't absorb fluids and can be wiped down between calls. The runner-style underside keeps the board off the ground and gives handlers a firm grip during lifts.

The two models here differ mainly in color: the 35850-OD in orange-drab and the 35850-Y in high-visibility yellow. Color choice isn't cosmetic in the field — many agencies assign colors to track equipment across units or to boost visibility in low-light and water-rescue scenarios, where a yellow board is easier to spot.

When choosing a backboard, look at the pin-and-strap slots (Iron Duck boards use multiple handhold and strap openings for versatile spider-strap and speed-clip configurations), the weight capacity for your patient population, and whether the board is X-ray translucent so imaging can be done without removing the patient. These features let a single board serve extrication, immobilization, and transfer without transferring the patient again.

For crew comfort and layering under protective gear, you may also want to browse our Undershirts & Base Layers.