Florida fire team gets up-to-date rescue vehicle on tight budget
Though it might see incongruous, ambulances can be made safer but still be affordable. All it takes is the right mix of experience, practicality, innovation, persistence and forward thinking — both inside and outside of the box (pun intended).
Backed by Winter Garden (Fla.) Fire Department Chief John Williamson and working with a budget under $200,000, I led a small committee of EMTs and paramedics with some very innovative ideas on a journey to bring a new style of EMS transport unit to our rescue department.
At the end of the two-year journey, a unique ambulance built by Medtec emerged that boasted significant advancements in eight specified areas: attendant safety; patient safety; lay public safety; bariatric transport; dual-patient transport; functional ergonomics; unit decontamination; and future technology. This is in addition to a dozen industry firsts and numerous design details that were intended to assist crew members in every phase of EMS delivery: readiness; response; transport; decontamination and return to service.
Read the entire story from FIRE CHIEF, our sister publication.
