New design offers improved safety, ease of movement to EMTs 
Road Rescue will unveil a new "safety" ambulance prototype at FDIC 2009
Road Rescue is introducing a new ambulance concept during the Fire Department Instructors Conference (FDIC), which opens today.
Road Rescue, a subsidiary of Spartan Motors, Inc., will unveil its new "safety" ambulance prototype at the industry's largest trade show, which runs through April 21 in Indianapolis. The new ambulance will offer greater ease of movement while providing enhanced safety features to protect emergency medical technicians working on patients during the transport process.
The new safety ambulance prototype will be on display at Booth 2432. This is the most recent introduction of a new ambulance model by Road Rescue, a leading manufacturer in the ambulance industry. The company has already begun taking orders for the new product.
"The current configuration of most ambulances makes it difficult for technicians to safely perform life-saving functions on their patients while remaining securely strapped into their seats," explained Randy Knors, president of Road Rescue. "Our new design has repositioned the seating and added retractable harnesses that provide more freedom of movement to EMTs without sacrificing their personal safety.
"This new ambulance offers innovative features that promote safety while improving functionality - the foundation of all that we do at Road Rescue."
Road Rescue's new safety ambulance concept features:
- Reconfigured seating that replaces the traditional squad bench with two separate seats for technicians. The front tech seat is on a base that moves along a track with a five-point, retractable harness that provides the EMT with more mobility at the head of the patient. The rear-seating position features an independent seat-base and a static five-point harness.
- Revised door placement, which shifts the side-entry door toward the bulkhead, allows for an additional working area along the curb-side wall inside the vehicle.
- Redesigned internal cabinetry, provides an "action-area" configured to support the equipment necessary to provide life-saving care to a patient during transport.
- Secondary control panel, providing full control of the patient compartment lighting and other functions in the patient area to technicians seated on either side of the patient.
"Safety of technicians, patients and the driver is critical," Knors said. "Our new safety ambulance, which allows emergency-rescue personnel to provide effective patient care in a safe, secure environment, should resonate with the industry."
More than 16.2 million patients arrive at emergency rooms across the country each year, a number that has grown over the past decade. More than 80 percent of all fire department service calls nationwide are now requesting emergency medical services.
