Check out this rig!!

[akflightmedic]

I WANT ONE!!!

Had to lift the link so you could see the pictures....

http://www.defrance.org/artman/publish/article_1586.shtml

12m long Mercedes Bus-Based Ambulance

by

The Stuttgart Fire Brigade has a new toy: a Mercedes-Benz Citaro urban bus-turned ambulance. Ze Germans have it slated for use in the event of a major catastrophe. The details:

This two-axle bus - measuring 12 m long and 2.55 m wide - was developed with the help of input from vastly experienced experts who work for the Stuttgart Fire Brigade and fire rescue services. So the new Citaro large-capacity emergency ambulance is not merely a means of transport for up to 15 casualties. With five treatment areas including beds for the seriously injured and ten seats for treating people with minor injuries, it is a fully-equipped mobile treatment room for moderately severe casualties, which can also be used as a mobile medical centre at major events or for transporting extremely heavy patients. The vehicle is part of the emergency response plan put in place for this year's World Cup in football and was funded by the Ministry of the Interior for Baden-Württemberg.

As well as the powerful convector heaters, the reinforced sidewalls contain built-in mounting rails for two DIN-standard stretchers with vacuum mattresses - one above the other - in the front section of the bus. When not in use, they can be folded out of the way and attached securely to the sidewall. Two additional Stryker stretchers are located directly above the rear wheel arches. There is also a special heavy-duty stretcher equipped with AMF fastening straps to prevent slipping, which is designed to carry patients weighing up to 350 kg. The ten seats in the front section of the bus, used for transporting seated patients or treating people with minor injuries, are upholstered in disinfectant-proof man-made leather.

Medical equipment on board the bus includes five ECG unit/defibrillator combinations as well as breathing apparatus, infusion pumps, suction pumps and an IT system for recording patient details. Each of the five treatment areas also has a "mediboard" for medical apparatus, a 10-litre oxygen cylinder, infusion holders and plenty of "grab-handle" options for the medical personnel working on board. Furthermore, the vehicle is equipped with an emergency rucksack, a special emergency doctor's bag, two emergency baby cases, a special surgical bag and an emergency case for treating intoxication. Two further oxygen cylinders are located in the seated patient area. Here the passages for the oxygen hoses can also be used as infusion hangers. In the rear area, the cabinet taking up the entire height and width of the bus features two pull-out work surfaces.

Looks like someone's going to need to write new words for "The Wheels on the Bus" (the kids' song). "...The ECG on the bus goes beep-beep-beep (hopefully) all around the town"

[Eydawn]

Two words: Freakin' AWESEOME.

That bus looks incredibly roomy and good to work in. We'll have to see how it works out in practice. Should be good for soccer (football) game riots and explosions... looks like you could get tangled up with your partners, perhaps, if you weren't practicing good communication. I'd divide the thing up into zones, say if I was working with a team of 4-6 responders.... if you need something from the back zone, just sing out and get it passed to you, don't get in each other's way.

Great idea! Love that it lowers itself 4 inches, too, and has an obese equipped cot. Somebody was thinking!

Wendy

NREMT-B

CO EMT-B

MI EMT-B

[Defiant1]

-i'm sorry, but the user cannot reply as he is currently drooling over the picture of the bus rig-

*pointing at picture of bus rig* mommy, i want one. can i have one? pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeezeeeee? maybe i'll ask santa for one.

the patient on the bus screams "i need morphine! i need morphine!" all over town.

[Katee]

Okay, so where exactly can we get this...?

How would we get a grant for it? :wink:

Hummmm I totally want one. Oh, thats right, where I come from we still don't have color TV and broadband internet...

[Eydawn]

And now you can legally say "bus" when referring to one's rig. That throws that old argument *right* out the window!

Wendy

NREMT-B

CO EMT-B

MI EMT-B

[Ridryder 911]

I guess the NY'ers have retract saying they work out of a "bus" now...

R/r 911

[csr]

That is similar to something I was envisioning after Katrina hit last year. Lots of nursing home patients and special needs people needed transport and traditional ambulance models were rushing to keep up. I remember episodes of the TV series M.A.S.H. where patients were often transported on buses which had been modified to hold several litters. I was talking to friends about how useful a couple of MASH busses would have been then.

A handful of these German, bus type ambulances would have really come in handy to help get hospital and nursing home patinets out of the hurricane strike zone in an efficient manner.

[zippyRN]

don't toronto have similar vehicles ?

there are various vehicles on this kind of theme in the Uk

the Isle of wight has a Merc Vario based vehicle which has three trollies , there are also a number of multi place vehicles operated as large mobile first aid posts or mobile treatment centres within the voluntary sector

caetainly the the Uk MoD has 'buses' which are convertilble between seated and trolley racked - though using the modern allow frame vesion ofthe classic furley pattern stretcher

[aussiephil]

are they substituting for something?

[FireMedic65]

thats pretty cool, it would be interesting to respond to call with it though:D