Response-sv_emergencyservicestimes Article

Vehicles & Vehicle Equipment

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Response-SV’s new A&E ambulances represent a major step forward in automotive design Recent technological innovations have made it possible to bring new and fresh thinking to bear on A&E ambulance design. New ideas that will enable the ever increasing demands for onboard equipment, health and safety requirements, lower response times, lower emissions, greater fuel efficiency, and a reduction in the need for C1 driver training, all of which are designed to meet and deliver superior medical outcomes in a socially responsible manner. One specialist vehicle manufacturer, Response-SV, has addressed these needs by incorporating ground breaking designs for its new family of A&E ambulances. Designs which, for the first time, enable the production of a light weight, highly efficient family of ambulances that represent a major step forward in terms of automotive design.

Response-SV is proud to present its all new range of sub 3.5 tonne Type ‘B’ A&E ambulances. The MediMax 1000 is constructed using 21st Century materials and is designed using the latest CAD-CAM 3-D drafting, prototyping and manufacturing techniques. These advances have resulted in an ambulance range which delivers great reductions in fuel and overall running costs, major ergonomic advances, and infection control, while also delivering a ‘carbon footprint’ that is significantly lower than most Type ‘B’ vehicles in service today. Each of the ambulances in ResponseSV’s sub 3.5 tonne range is fully configurable to the customer’s requirements, inside and out. Originally developed on the LDV Maxus chassis, today the MediMax 1000 is available on a wide range of platforms including the Peugeot/Fiat/Citroen platform used by ‘Boxer’, ‘Relay’ and ‘Ducato’, whose chassis offer even greater levels of interior space and flexibility of layout.

3500kg GVW panel van chassis – significantly more operating capacity than is offered by any comparable vehicle in the UK. MediMax 1000 may be driven with great confidence thanks to handling and performance improvements related to its reduced operating weight and more careful load distribution.

Impressive and immediate cost savings Another great advantage the MediMax 1000 has over the current UK standard is its immense payload capacity which is achieved through precision engineering and the careful selection of materials. As a result, it is capable of offering as much as 1000kg of payload on a 50

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MediMax 1000 offers significantly reduced fuel and running costs when compared to existing 3900kg/5000kg vehicles. Even more operational cost savings and convenience are delivered thanks to the fact that paramedics do not require C1 licences to drive them. Response-SV has calculated that over a seven year life, the MediMax1000’s lightweight design will generate direct savings in the region of £50,000. An average sized fleet of 280, therefore, will save a whopping £15m. The vehicles’ low weight provides a number of less obvious benefits such as reduced VOR time (due to the reduced stress upon chassis running gear), reduced logistical costs, reduced / eliminated road toll charging, and reduced costs associated with its ‘lower carbon footprint’, which means that operational running cost savings will further multiply over the lifespan of MediMax 1000. Infection control In another major step forward, infection control has been a key consideration in the design of this ambulance. from the very beginning. MediMax 1000 features a sculpted, moulded interior, built from GRP and ABS polymer materials, which is both modern in aesthetic and highly functional in use. The interior has been designed to have a 21st Century auto-

Emergency Services Times August 2009

Vehicles & Vehicle Equipment

Innovative production techniques Response-SV is able to do all this because it employs a new and revolutionary ambulance construction process which, thanks to a number of pre engineered sales specification options, enables the company to build the MediMax 1000 ambulances on a wide range of manufacturers’ chassis. This means Response-SV is able to customise the MediMax 1000 to users’ requirements without compromising on sub component design.

‘tailfin’, which integrates numerous HVAC, exterior lighting and reverse camera functions. To minimise Vehicle Off Road (VOR) incidents the MediMax 1000 can be fitted with Lateral Design Concepts’ ‘Hydra-kneel’ floor lowering pull down suspension system (which, in the unlikely event of a failure, returns to its standard driving position, thereby maintaining its drivability), and their unique, patented lift in, lift out cassette ‘Wedge Ramp’ access devices. Included as standard are all LED interior and emergency warning lighting, spray resin flooring, and an advanced vehicle control system (Genisys). Response-SV’s continuing strategy for lightweight, eco friendly, cost effective ambulance vehicles will be further demonstrated in early 2010 with the unveiling of the custom built ‘rECOvery’, a ground breaking 3500kg GVW custom built A&E Ambulance Module. The ‘rECOvery’ will also be available upon a wide range of base chassis. Naturally, all of the creativity and innovation implicit in the MediMax 1000 van conversion will be multiplied further to create an ambulance body product with even greater levels of space and functionality. www.response-sv.com

The MediMax 1000 specification option list gives customers considerable flexibility in the selection of cabinetry and feature preferences. ‘Off the shelf’ device inclusions, such as the quantity of exterior blue lights, inverters, intercoms and more, may all be specified as per customers’ individual operational and price requirements. Clearly, Response-SV does not design and build to an inflexible, volume driven regime. Its intelligent vehicle configuration system makes it possible for the company to build MediMax 1000 to low or high batch volumes without production delays, satisfying the highest demands of an NHS Trust or the specific individual requirements of a private sector operator. As a result, Response-SV can configure MediMax 1000 options to produce a very wide range of A&E and ‘HDU/Mid tier’ ambulances. Bespoke features Among many other innovative features, MediMax 1000 is fitted with a fully moulded interior, including Response-SV’s ‘Diverse Workforce’ aircraft style cant lockers, sculpted fibreglass ceiling with integral hand poles, drop down IV hangers, and the unique rooftop Emergency Services Times August 2009

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motive look and feel, with smooth finished surfaces and rolled floor edges, devoid of dirt traps, to give an ergonomically sound operating space that is easy to keep clean.