Euro influence in ambulances
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by Toby Clark
• The ambulance industry is as prone to fashions as any other, as the diversity of vehicles at Harrogate's AMBEX made clear. But amid the defibrillators, resuscitation dummies and inflatable splints, some important issues came to light.
This year's preoccupation was the European market—how to sell into it and how to fend off the Continental bodybuilders.
One of the largest stands belonged to French firm Bernard Collet, which bodies 700 ambulances annually as well as refurbishing about 400 units. Its stylish Transit conversion will provide a foothold in the UK market.
Another good-looking ambulance came from Miesen of Bonn, Transporter-based and seen on VW 's stand.
Meanwhile, Customline's Lazer GRP body appeared on chassis
from Leyland Daf, Ford, Iveco and Mercedes-Benz. Links with Wadham Stringer (see page 17) and involvement with the CEN standards body should allow it to keep abreast of European requirements. WS itself showed its MIAB body and a Renaultbased vehicle for patient transport (PTS) applications Low floors and kneeling suspensions were prominent, with units from Tipmaster, SLS/Hubmatik, and Invatravel on show. Airide Systems offer lowerable air suspension for the Sevel, demonstrated on a Peugeot Express PTS vehicle.
The move to trust status has prompted many authorities to examine their ambulance operations, and Ryder aims to convert them to contract hire. Their allterrain paramedic ambulance, based on the Saker light strike vehicle, was intended as a "teaser" but created genuine interest. The high-publicity all-terrain theme was continued by Vauxhall's Frontera, Suzuki's Vitara and Ford's Maverick, defying Land Rover's dominance of the market.
Trust status seems to have liberated some authorities from their traditional choice of vehicles, and foreign ambulances were much in evidence: Wheeled Coach and Tri-Star displayed massive vee-eight powered Ford and GNIC models.
Czech firm Tatra's high-speed paramedic vehicle—based on its 613-3 saloon with its rear-mounted air-cooled 3.5-litre petrol vee-eight—is aimed at race tracks and airports.
Accident & Emergency ambulances have a high public profile, so manufacturers are keen on a market that promises fewer than 800 sales a year—Leyland Daf Vans. Ford, Vauxhall, Renault, Mercedes and Volkswagen all exhibited.