Llanelli Star
Copyright 2007 Llanelli Star
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United Kingdom — New, revolutionary ambulances are saving lives across Carmarthenshire.
There is at least one state-of-the-art, £115,000 Mercedes 515 Sprinter emergency ambulance in each of the county’s seven stations, including Llanelli and Ammanford.
They are fitted with hydraulic tail lift, stretcher and wheelchair as well as sat nav.
Paramedic supervisor in Carmarthen Jamie Singer said: “The vehicles have made a tremendous difference to us all in the way we do the job.
“They have been designed not only for the patient but around the work we do.”
The design of this ambulance was worked out by Welsh Ambulance Service and manufacturers UV Modular.
Since rolling out across the country in March there has been an upturn in Wales Ambulance Service performance, with emergency responses exceeding the 60 per cent target of reaching life-threatening cases within eight minutes for the first time in two years the month they were introduced.
They have made such an impact that they will appear on Discovery Channel series How Do They Do That? over Christmas.
The chairman of UV Modular, Peter Howard Jones, said: “This is a tremendous vehicle and has everything a modern A&E vehicle needs.
“I believe it will become the definitive vehicle of choice for UK ambulance services.”