Since its debut last fall, the next generation ambulance continues to be refined to provide medics and their patients with cutting-edge safety and patient care tools. The country's leading ambulance service provider and leading ambulance outfitter -- American Medical Response (AMR) and American Emergency Vehicles (AEV) -- have jointly developed the next generation ambulance as part of their ongoing partnership to mitigate the serious safety risks in the emergency medical services industry. The vehicle is being introduced today to members of the Federal Intra-Agency Committee on Emergency Medical Services (FICEMS) in Washington, D.C.
"Several national studies have identified the dangers facing EMS professionals as being on par with those of police officers or firefighters, mostly due to the risks faced while en route to or from emergency calls," said Dr. Nadine Levick, a nationally recognized authority on ambulance crash worthiness.
Since its introduction, the concept vehicle has traveled coast to coast to gather feedback from emergency medical services professionals. A second prototype is in production.
"We are currently incorporating additional refinements into the second prototype vehicle that we believe will increase safety and enhance patient care," said Ron Thackery, Vice President of Safety and Risk, AMR. "Hundreds of EMS professionals who have reviewed the vehicle have been instrumental in helping us to further enhance this ambulance of the future."
The concept ambulance began with dozens of features to help protect both the medics and patients aboard the ambulance from injuries, including:
special seating that allows two medics to be properly restrained with safety belts without compromising patient access;
a collision avoidance warning system;
special external caution lights that alert other motorists that medical treatment is being conducted aboard the vehicle;
"black box" on-board computer system (similar to aircraft black boxes) that record driver activity and warn of driving maneuvers outside of safety parameters;
and reconfigured interior cabinetry to reduce the risk of impact.
Safety enhancements to the second prototype include improved restraint systems for medics and more conspicuous reflective paint on the vehicle's exterior. Technology improvements such as the InMotion in vehicle mobile network gateway and GPS tracking and Marvlis vehicle routing and mapping systems, and patient care technologies also are being integrated into the vehicle, such as ePCR wireless patient care reporting.
American Medical Response, (http://www.amr.net)
