How the Doty Belt Began

Glen Doty is currently a retired Captain with a California Fire Department, and has been in the fire service for 30 years. During that time, he has responded to hundreds of medical calls. Lift-assist calls are becoming more common due to the growing population affected by the obesity epidemic in the U.S.

The idea for the Lift Assist Harness came about when Doty was on an emergency call. His crew needed to lift a woman from the ground to her wheelchair. The crew could not get into a safe position to make the lift without possibly injuring the patient. They finally managed to get her into the wheelchair safely, but it was very difficult. Doty realized that they needed an easier and safer way to lift patients, and the idea of the DotyBelt was born.

So Doty spent the last two years, and countless hours, designing and developing prototypes that could handle patient lifts in many different situations.

His goal was to make a belt that was easy-to-use, affordable and durable. The DotyBelt/Lift Assist Harness has been tested to UL standards for lift safety harnesses and the stitching has been tensile tested up to 1700 lbs. Why test so high? He wanted first responders and caregivers to know that when they go to lift a patient or a family member, they can use the DotyBelt with confidence. His hope is that the Doty Belt/Lift Assist Harness helps as many people as possible.