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State-of-the-Art Ambulance Design Unveiled During EMS Week Celebration

HARRISBURG, Pa., May 23, 2007; Pennsylvania Department of Health officials today celebrated Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Week by unveiling Medic 515, a newly designed state-of-the-art ambulance that improves the safety and efficiency of emergency care.

"Medic 515 is the future of emergency medical services in Pennsylvania," said the health department's Bureau of EMS Director Joseph Schmider. "The vehicle is loaded with more than forty additional safety features than the standard ambulance. We will be testing the new equipment to see how we can improve ambulance safety in communities across the state."

Emergency medical service providers provided a tour of the ambulance's features designed to make emergency care more efficient and safer for patients, as well as make the ambulance a safer working environment for EMS providers.

Medic 515 was designed with funding and technical assistance from the Department of Health and was manufactured by Lifeline Ambulance. It is the centerpiece of the Baldwin (Allegheny County) EMS Ambulance Safety Awareness Program and will be used to promote the use of safer practices and equipment throughout Pennsylvania's EMS community.

Some of Medic 515 unique design features include: bright, reflective colors for better visibility on the outside of the vehicle; a camera and LCD monitor system in the forward, rear, and patient compartments; easier access to supplies so EMS practitioners can treat patients while wearing functional safety belts; higher ceilings; and padded compartments.

In Pennsylvania, there are 16 regional EMS councils serving 983 ambulance services. In 2005, over 1.7 million people were transported by ambulance in the commonwealth. For more information on emergency medical services in Pennsylvania, visit the Department of Health's Web site at http://www.health.state.pa.us/.