The Mercedes-Benz Citaro Large-Capacity Emergency Ambulance
Posted by www.eMercedesBenz.com on May 16, 2006 at 9:30 AM CST To view the story with acompanying photos, click the link below. http://www.emercedesbenz.com/ May06/15TheMercedesBenzCitaroLargeCapacityEmergencyAmbulance.html To kick things off this morning we have word of what is undoubtedly the biggest ambulance I've ever seen. Based on the Mercedes-Benz Citaro urban bus, the new large capacity emergency ambulance was produced for the Stuttgart Fire Brigade with the intention of assisting in civil protection, especially in the event of major catastrophes resulting in mass injuries or sickness. A few highlights of the bus include five treatment areas including beds for those suffering from serious injuries, an additional 10 seats for those suffering from minor injuries, easy access for rescue personnel and patients thanks to a low entrance and an adjustable ride height, and last but certainly not least, a wealth of medical equipment including five ECG unit/defibrillator combinations, breathing apparatus, infusion pumps, suction pumps, and an IT system for recording patient details. Of course, this is merely a sampling of what's contained in the new Mercedes-Benz Citaro large-capacity emergency ambulance. If you'd like to learn more, keep scrolling for a number of photos with descriptions (click any to enlarge), followed by the press release in its entirety. Enjoy. New large-capacity emergency ambulance: Mercedes-Benz Citaro for the Stuttgart Fire Brigade - The new large-capacity emergency ambulance for the Stuttgart Fire Brigade – based on the Mercedes-Benz Citaro urban bus – has 5 treatment areas including beds for the seriously injured and 10 seats for treating people with minor injuries, making it a fully-equipped mobile treatment room for moderately severe casualties. It can also be used as a mobile medical centre at major events or for transporting extremely heavy patients. The top left and bottom left photos show the vehicle – fully equipped as a mobile treatment room – in front of the New Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart. The new large-capacity emergency ambulance will be based at Fire and Rescue Watch 5 (Filder) in the Degerloch district of Stuttgart (top right). From here it will be called out on often life- saving missions. Sheet metal panels replace the usually fitted glass in the rear window and the last side window on either side (bottom right). New large-capacity emergency ambulance: Mercedes-Benz Citaro for the Stuttgart Fire Brigade - The new large-capacity emergency ambulance for the Stuttgart Fire Brigade – based on a Mercedes-Benz Citaro urban bus (top left) – is capable of treating or transporting up to 15 emergency patients. The extensive range of emergency equipment on board the bus includes 10 seats for treating people with minor injuries, three stretchers, a hospital bed, a special heavy-duty stretcher, five ECG/defibrillator combinations, breathing apparatus, infusion pumps, suction pumps, an emergency rucksack, a special emergency doctor’s bag, two emergency baby cases, a special surgical bag, an emergency case for treating intoxication and an IT system for recording patient details. Each treatment area also has a „mediboard“ for medial apparatus, a 10 litre oxygen cylinder, infusion holders and plenty of „grab-handle“ options for the medical personnel. New large-capacity emergency ambulance: Mercedes-Benz Citaro for the Stuttgart Fire Brigade - The new large-capacity emergency ambulance for the Stuttgart Fire Brigade – based on a Mercedes-Benz Citaro urban bus – will assist the fire brigade and civil protection services in Baden-Württemberg’s capital city, especially in the event of major catastrophes involving mass injuries or sickness. The two- axle bus – measuring 12 m long and 2.55 m wide – has five treatment areas including beds for the seriously injured and ten seats for treating people with minor injuries, making it a fully-equipped mobile treatment room for moderately severe casualties. It can also be used as a mobile medical centre at major events or for transporting extremely heavy patients. Distinctive exterior features include the retroreflective contour markings on the sides and at the rear, the xenon headlamps mounted all the way around the roof edge to illuminate the area around the vehicle and the additional flashing lights at the rear of the bus to ensure that members of the public are fully aware of what is happening. New large-capacity emergency ambulance: Mercedes-Benz Citaro for the Stuttgart Fire Brigade - The new large-capacity emergency ambulance for the Stuttgart Fire Brigade – based on a Mercedes-Benz Citaro urban bus – is part of the emergency response plan put in place for this year’s World Cup in football (top photo, left: in front of the Gottlieb Daimler Stadium in Stuttgart). Driver operating errors are prevented courtesy of the fact that all the switches – with the exception of the controls for the priority vehicle signalling system and the crash recorder – are illuminated as part of the standard specification (top right). Up to 15 patients can be treated or transported at once thanks to the extensive range of emergency equipment on board the bus. This includes three stretchers, a hospital bed and a special heavy-duty stretcher secured with AMF fastening straps, which is designed to carry patients weighing up to 350 kg (bottom left), plus a medical cabinet which takes up the entire width of the bus at the rear end (bottom right). New large-capacity emergency ambulance: Mercedes-Benz Citaro for the Stuttgart Fire Brigade - The new large-capacity emergency ambulance for the Stuttgart Fire Brigade – based on a Mercedes-Benz Citaro urban bus – will assist the fire brigade and civil protection services in Baden-Württemberg’s capital city, especially in the event of major catastrophes involving mass injuries or sickness. Sporting a white paint finish with fluorescent red livery and large lettering – indicating „Bevölkerungsschutz Baden-Württemberg“ (Baden-Württemberg Civil Protection Services), „Rettungsdienst“ (Rescue Service) and „Feuerwehr Stuttgart“ (Stuttgart Fire Brigade) – the new large- capacity emergency ambulance will be based at Fire and Rescue Watch 5 (Filder, top photo) in the Degerloch district of Stuttgart. From here it will be called out on often life-saving missions. The bottom photos show the new Citaro large-capacity emergency ambulance in front of the New Mercedes-Benz Museum (left) and the Gottlieb Daimler Stadium (right) in Stuttgart OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE New large-capacity emergency ambulance: Mercedes-Benz Citaro for the Stuttgart Fire Brigade New large-capacity emergency ambulance for the Stuttgart Fire Brigade: highly effective medical assistance for casualties at major incidents Mercedes-Benz Citaro regular-service bus provides an ideal and flexible basis – functionality the top design priority Stuttgart, May 12, 2006 The new large-capacity emergency ambulance for the Stuttgart Fire Brigade – based on a Mercedes-Benz Citaro urban bus – will assist the fire brigade and civil protection services in Baden-Württemberg’s capital city, especially in the event of major catastrophes involving mass injuries or sickness. 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. Key factors which swung the decision in favour of the Mercedes-Benz Citaro low-floor bus included its outstanding handling qualities – ideal for transporting casualties – its low-floor concept with stepless entrances and a level vehicle floor with no raised areas in the front section of the bus, not to mention its reliability, an extensive safety equipment package – including an electronic braking system (EBS), ABS and acceleration skid control (ASR) – and comfort- enhancing features such as a kneeling function and a body raising/ lowering system. Another important factor was the powertrain configuration, in this case consisting of a horizontally installed OM 906 hLA 6-cylinder engine developing 205 kW/279 hp in combination with a ZF-Ecomat six-speed automatic transmission. Sporting a white paint finish with fluorescent red livery, large lettering – indicating „Bevölkerungsschutz Baden-Württemberg“ (Baden- Württemberg Civil Protection Services) and „Rettungsdienst“ (Rescue Service) in blue reflective film and „Feuerwehr Stuttgart“ (Stuttgart Fire Brigade) in white reflective film – as well as retroreflective contour markings on the sides and at the rear, the new large-capacity emergency ambulance will be based at Fire and Rescue Watch 5 (Filder) in the Degerloch district of Stuttgart. From here it will be called out on often life-saving missions. According to the Stuttgart Fire Brigade, the top priority is not just speed alone but, moreover, the quality of care offered to casualties at major incidents. In this instance, it is not about performing emergency operations. Instead it is primarily a question of maintaining vital bodily functions, providing transport capability and transporting up to 15 emergency patients as „gently“ and safely as possible. The Citaro large-capacity emergency ambulance certainly has all the right credentials to do the job, including a chassis featuring acceleration skid control (ASR), air suspension and electronic self- levelling suspension with a kneeling function as well as front and rear anti-roll bars. Sheet metal panels replace the usually fitted glass in the rear window and the last side window on either side. In the middle of the bus, the floor has built-in mounting rails for safely securing a hospital bed or a heavy-duty stretcher. If normally impassable terrain is encountered, the bus can be raised by a maximum of seven centimetres to enable it to reach the scene quickly. Furthermore, access to the interior of the bus is easy thanks to two wide double-wing doors which open pneumatically: one inward-swinging door at the front and one outward-swinging door in the centre of the bus. Driver operating errors are prevented courtesy of the fact that all the switches – with the exception of the controls for the priority vehicle signalling system and the crash recorder – are illuminated as part of the standard specification. Further features of note include the xenon headlamps mounted all the way around the roof edge to illuminate the area around the vehicle and the additional flashing lights at the rear of the bus to ensure that members of the public are fully aware of what is happening. An additionally installed distance warning device and a reversing sensor enhance the level of safety for people moving past the rear of the bus. One of the top priorities is to provide a comfortable environment for the casualties. Hence the bus is fully air-conditioned and can be heated or cooled as required, depending on the outside temperature. 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. It is above all the medical equipment inside the Citaro large- capacity emergency ambulance which saves lives. Based on a flexible modular system and incorporating supplementary design features, the bus can be adapted to meet specific event needs. As well as featuring a low entrance, the bus has a kneeling system which allows it to be lowered by four centimetres at the touch of a button. This makes it easier for the disabled, the injured and, above all, the rescue teams carrying patients on stretchers to board the vehicle. Access to the interior of the new large-capacity emergency ambulance is also facilitated by a mechanical folding ramp at the centre entrance. 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. Further integral features of the cabinet include various storage compartments for medical supplies such as plasters and bandages, a cooled compartment, a heated compartment, storage space for around 100 ampoules, a safe for narcotics/anaesthetics and six hollow tubes for holding oxygen and suction catheters. To ensure that all of the medical equipment on board the bus is ready for use at any time, it is checked rigorously every day by the Stuttgart Fire Brigade. The medical devices are powered by an external 24-volt supply, eight 230-volt sockets and two chargers. The vehicle power supply – a standard 24-volt system – operates all the standard-fit and fire-brigade-specific consumers (priority vehicle signalling system, yellow flashers at the rear, ambient lighting, etc.) on board the new Citaro large-capacity emergency ambulance as well as the adjustable interior spots, most importantly those above the treatment areas. Further equipment in the instrument panel area includes a microphone for loudspeaker announcements, a navigation system and two radio communication systems designed specifically for the authorities, and organisations with security and safety-related duties. There are also three mobile phone systems, a fax machine, a radio data system, two separately controllable speakers and several radio aerials. For more Mercedes new and information, visit us at www.eMercedesBenz.com