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New Canadian ambulance designed for obese patients

Custom-made ambulance can support up to 1K pounds of weight

By Melissa Martin
Winnipeg Free Press

WINNIPEG, Canada — The doors are 10 centimetres taller than normal, the body of the vehicle is about 15 centimetres wider. But the city’s first bariatric ambulance could make a bigger impact on emergency care in Winnipeg than its blueprint would suggest.

"(Paramedics) are very excited, very relieved,” said Winnipeg EMS superintendent Stan Stone, as he showed off the brand-new ambulance on Thursday.

On the outside, it looks like... well, a big ambulance. But it’s actually a one-of-a-kind truck, custom designed by Stone and Saskatoon ambulance manufacturer Crestline to better accommodate people who are very obese. Emergency responders get about 125 calls for bariatric patients each year.

Full Story: New ambulance gives lift to morbidly obese patients