Municipal vehicles: welfare and aid theme

20th September 1974, Page 181

20th September 1974

Page 181

Page 181, 20th September 1974 — Municipal vehicles: welfare and aid theme

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QUALITY rather than quantity is the keynote of the municipal vehicles at Earls Court this year.

And it's not surprising that there are fewer than normal exhibits because the Public Works and Municipal Service Exhibition at Olympia takes place at Olympia from October 18-22.

However, the Commercial Motor Show does mark the debut of a number of vehicles. One comes from Herbert Lomas Ltd (stand 99) — it's an ambulance based on the Ford A 0610 chassis with 3.6m (145 in) wheelbase, and designed for physically handicapped and wheelchair patients. It has a petrol engine: the Ford V6 three-litre, The standard Ford front wings have been replaced by grp-moulded units, and a wraparound windscreen is fitted.

Also on display is a Transit chassis fitted with a Lomas all-glassfibre ambulance body and is suitable for either recumbent or sitting patients. The interior of the vehicle is fitted with two trolley-type stretchers, and there is a full-width partition — between the driver's cabo and the saloon — which is fitted with a central sliding door. The standard Ford front doors are retained and access to the rear is by means of one central rear door.

The third ambulance on this stand has a Bedford CF chassis conversion to which is fitted a Lomas all-grp ambulance body. The vehicle is designed for either sitting or recumbent patients and is fitted with a rescue locker which is accessible from the exterior of the vehicle. The standard Bedford front doors are fitted to the cab, and access to the rear of the vehicle is by means of a single-panel rear door.

Wadham Stringer (Coachbuilders) Ltd (stand 128) is showing three examples from its extensive range.

A de luxe Welfare Coach body mounted on a Bedford VAS chassis provides accommodation for 26 passengers or 14 wheelchairs together with driver and attendant. The forward-facing seating is adjustable and detachable using the Shorfast system, which can also be used for locating the wheelchairs. 4 Wadham electro/hydraulic lift platform is fitted centrally at the rear — enclosed by double central doors. On the front nearside is a large side entrance with sliding doors and graduated steps. The coachwork is of composite construction with 18swg aluminium panels and moulded grp roof sections.

Also on stand 128 is a British Leyland 240 van ambulance conversion. This model includes an optional Wadham moulded-grp raised roof section giving standing headroom and storage locker over driver's cab.

Good access, ease of cleaning, good storage 'acilities and comfort for patients and crew are the features of the double-skinned structural plastic ambulance body mounted on a Ford Transit V6 3-litre petrol-engined chassis. The interior layout incorporates two FW York range-stretcher trolleys, waist-height Melamine surfaced storage locker, emergency aids, oxygen facilities and equipment to the requirements of the customer.

Rootes {Maidstone) Ltd (stand 122) is showing a special wheelchair/personnel carrier based on the Karrier Walk-Thru KC6055 chassis/scuttle with a wheelbase of 3.9m (155 in). The body, of all-steel construction with a recessed sliding door on the nearside, has a hinged door on the offside with a pair of hinged doors at the rear which open to 100 degrees. The roof is panelled with fire retardant grp. At the rear an electric/hydraulic lift is fitted to facilitate wheelchair passenger and ambulant passenger entry and exit.

The vehicle can carry 16 passengers and up to seven wheelchairs in addition to driver and attendant. Seats incorporate hand rails and restraining harnesses.

This company is also showing a Welfare bus based on the Commer 2500 series forwardcontrol passenger shell fitted with a grp roof. The vehicle is powered by a 1.72-litre petrol engine, but options include a diesel engine and automatic transmission.

Dormobile Ltd (stand 75) is exhibiting the prototype of the Dormobile National 146 ambulance based on the lengthened 3.6m (146 in) Bedford CF chassis fitted with 2.3-litre petrol engine and automatic transmission.

The extra length allows for the attendant seats at the head of the stretcher trolley position to be located inside the wheelbase.

Also shown is the National 126 ambulance, which continues as the popular concept of dual-purpose recumbent and eight-sitting case ambulance. Mechanically, it is identical to the National 146 with the exception of its shorter chassis length.

The Dormobile Pacemaker social services wheelchair ambulance, based on the Ford Transit 150 chassis, is shown in standard layout form for nine sitting patients and three wheelchairs. Tail-lift is standard equipment.

On stand 32 Pilchera (Merton) Ltd is one of the four-wheel-drive ambulances which the company builds for the overseas markets.

Based on the series III long-wheelbase LandRover chassis with four or six-cylinder petrol and four-cylinder diesel engine options, this ambulance can accommodate one stretcher and four sitting patients, or eight sitting patients, or two stretcher patients.

Another dual-purpose sitting/stretcher patient ambulance is based on the petrolengined Bedford chassis, and a welfare coach on the Mercedes L408 petrol-engjned chassis, is also on show.

Municipal vehicles are also well represented on stand 59 Rover-British Leyland Ltd with Range Rover ambulance conversions by Spencer Abbott and Co Ltd and Herbert Lomas Ltd; and a two-stretcher installation in a 12seat Land-Rover station wagon again by Spencer Abbott and Co Ltd.

From British Leyland truck and bus division, on the Leyland National stand 95, comes the Lifeliner (CM September 13). Based on a standard Leyland National shell, it is an accident rescue vehicle developed in association with medical experts in the field of firstresponse treatment.

The scale of equipment it is possibleto install within the substantial outline of a Lifeliner makes it possible for a doctor to contemplate intensive care, without any need to transfer patients who may be critically injured. Internally, it has been laid out into three sections. Stretcher patients arrive on an electric lift through a large hatch — which replaces. the rear window — into the reception area. The main treatment area has six "casualty beds", each with its own medical equipment and electronic monitoring aids. The front section is used as a communications centre and crew compartment.

The Lifeliner itself can take to country tracks through an adaptation of the air-suspension system, which also levels the vehicle when stationary on rough ground. For remote areas, where ground conditions may be difficult, the Lifeliner can carry a small hovercraft and an all-terrain vehicle with four-wheel steering and four-wheel drive. These additional vehicles can carry stretcher patients over hil!y terrain.

This year's Show also marks the appearance of ERF Fire Engineering Ltd as a company in its own right, Formed only last month, the company is exhibiting two fire appliances on stand 100 — a model 84 RS Snorkel chassis' and a model 84 CF water tender.

The first-ever fire engine equipped with a Snorkel for the Isle of Man Fire Service is the company's main exhibit. The vehicle is powered by a Rolls-Royce B81 petrol engine, driving through an Allison automatic type MT640 gearbox to an Eaton axle.

The other vehicle on show, the type 84CF water tender, is powered by a Cummins V8555 diesel engine chosen for its high revving capacity for maximum pump efficiency.