In the reports so far, we have shown you a variety of unusual mass casualty incident (MCI) vehicles and equipment on display at Interschutz 2015, the world’s largest fire, rescue and EMS exposition being held in Hanover, Germany. For this report, we will switch gears slightly and take a look at some of the more unusual and specialized ambulances that are on display.
JEMS: European MCI Vehicles on Display at Interschutz 2015 – Part 1
It can be said that Europe is the crossroads of the world. A number of large airports, such as Paris, Frankfort, and Amsterdam, are the gateway for millions of people from other parts of the world that enter Europe for work or vacation. But far more enter through smaller airports and via ports along the many European coastlines. Unfortunately, this means that the risk of people with infectious diseases such as Ebola, SARS, avian flu or MERS making their way into the general populace is quite high. It wasn’t a surprise, therefore, to see some ambulances on display that we specially designed to transport infectious patients.
The first ambulance we will look at is the equivalent in size to a U.S. Type II. Made by Emergency Mobile Systems of Turkey, the ambulance is designed specifically for transporting patients with infectious diseases.
The first feature of this ambulance is its extensive air filtration system. Air inside the ambulance is continually recirculated through a HEPA filtration system. The air flow path is designed to pull possible contaminated air along the floor and introduce filtered air closer to the ceiling. This reduces EMS personnel exposure to contaminated air while working in the patient compartment. Some air also vents out of holes directly behind the rear passenger side wheel, but this air must pass through a HEPA filter system as well.
The second unique feature of this ambulance is an on-board nebulizer use to aerosolize a hydrogen peroxide solution to decontaminate the ambulance interior following a transport. According to the ambulance manufacturer, the mist permeates all areas of the patient compartment in a short period of time, reducing the amount of time the ambulance is out of service for cleaning.
JEMS: European MCI Vehicles on Display at Interschutz 2015 – Part 2
Another specialized infectious disease ambulance on display is made by the Romanian company Deltamed and is similar to a U.S. Type III ambulance. This ambulance also features a very robust HEPA filtration system, with not only HEPA filters in the front bulkhead of the patient compartment, but also large cylindrical filters in the rear. The body is negatively pressured to bring in fresh air from the outside, and interior air is continually recirculated through the filters.
An obvious difference between this ambulance and others shown at the Interschutz was the stainless steel interior. Deltamed says this allows a more thorough decontamination of the interior to be performed.
Another unique feature of this ambulance is its ability to carry multiple patients. The patient compartment can be configured to carry four patients on litters or 6 seated patients. This makes the ambulance very useful for MCI and natural disaster response as well as infectious disease response.
JEMS: European MCI Response
In our next report, we will show you some additional specialized ambulances. If you think you have issues getting through traffic in your area, you won’t want to miss an ambulance that doesn’t have trouble asking for the right-of-way!
