November 2004
The Royal Berkshire Ambulance NHS Trust (RBAT) has taken delivery of a new mobile Command and Control Unit, built on Iveco's Daily 50C13 chassis with the largest 4,750 mm wheelbase.
Designed specifically to respond to major incidents such as a terrorist attack, the Daily integral chassis has been fitted with a 6m long body which houses a mobile control office with four workstations and a meeting room for up to six people.
The addition of this vehicle to the fleet gives the RBAT much greater flexibility for dealing with major incidents and will allow it to help take the pressure off the central control room by coordinating operations on-site.
State-of-the-art communications equipment fitted on-board also enables the vehicle and its crew to take control of managing the Trust’s entire ambulance fleet by simply connecting up to any telephone line, in the event of the main control room being rendered inoperable.
“We trialled a front-line Daily ambulance from Iveco earlier this year and were so impressed with its all-round performance it was an obvious candidate to enhance our fleet,” says Clinton Dubell, Fleet Manager for RBAT.
“It was based on this experience which led us to purchase the Daily for this unique new role, coupled with the availability of a strong chassis and long wheelbase combination which matched our specific requirements,” he adds.
Finished in a bright yellow livery with high visibility conspicuity graphics and blue lights, the Daily is also fitted with high-tech camera equipment mounted on a retractable telescopic mast for photographing incident scenes. A roll-up canopy has also been built into the bodywork shielding the entrance to the control room from the elements when working on-site.
“Whilst this vehicle is much larger than the front-line Daily ambulance we initially trialled, the driving setup is identical and it remains highly manoeuvrable and easy to drive. This is an important consideration as it needs to be capable of reaching the scene of a major incident as quickly as possible,” he concludes.
Supplied by Guildford-based Iveco distributor Grays Trucks, the Daily Command and Control Unit will be joined by a further eight front-line Daily ambulances in March 2005.
Release date: 19 November 2004