It is safe to say the latest generation of first responders grew up with family cars equipped with “state-of-the-art” safety features like seat belts with reminder “chimes,” air bags, automatic headlights, vehicle event recorders, and intelligent “multiplexed” electrical systems. It is also safe to assume that these systems were developed and are continually refined by a well-established passenger automotive safety ecosystem driven by regulating authorities. From this, one would think a fair conclusion is that the same has existed in ambulance design for all those years as well. That is often not the case. Fortunately, a transformation is solidly underway. Read More.

This article originally appeared in Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment, Oct, 2013.