Mr Shaun Kelly1, Mr Ols Duerr-Ruether1
1NSW Ambulance, Sydney, Australia
Biography:
Ols Duerr-Ruether is A/Director Assets and Infrastructure at NSW Ambulance.
Abstract:
Intro/background
Recent major flood events have proved NSW Ambulance requires the right equipment to enable lifesaving care to be provided to patients. During the Lismore floods, NSW Ambulance personnel relied on other agencies to reach sick and injured patients.
With increasing extreme environmental conditions and in response to recommendations made by the Flood Inquiry, funding was provided to further the states flood rescue capability.
Method
A working group was established with representatives from NSW SOT, IR, P&C, Fleet and the IDS unit. They undertook a worldwide review of other organisations off-road capability and performance. The Unimog was chosen due to its capability, performance and reliability off-road. It is currently used by NSW State Emergency Service, Victorian Country Fire Authority, Queensland Fire and Emergency Services.
Results
The Hazardous Area Rescue Ambulance (HARA) has improved 4WD access capability, including the ability to cross water up to 1.2m deep. It is capable of transporting staff, patients and bystanders in rear cabin. The vehicle has crew protection systems that enable it to withstand a burn over for about five minutes. It has an improved communication platform that provides intelligent connections using radio frequency, terrestrial and satellite technologies.
The first HARA was completed in June 2024. The vehicle was tested off-road through water, mud, hills and stand. Patient loading, unloading and transport were also simulated in these environments. The working group signed off on the completed vehicle, and the remaining seven vehicles will be completed by June 2024.