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The ideal ambulance: how feasible?
Page 52
Page 53
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Tony Wilding examines Ogle report proposals
• Just how valuable is the report on emergency ambulance deSign (CM last week) compiled by Ogle Design Ltd, after a study initiated by the National Research Development Corporation and the Greater London Council? After talking to many people in the industry involved with ambulances, and who have read the report, I can say that there does not seem much chance of an ambulance meeting all the requirements stated—especially cost—becoming available.
The news item published last week stating that a report had been made by Ogle, and quoting certain conclusions reached, was based on a fairly brief Press release issued by NRDC, the report itself being treated as confidential. But I have now been able to see the actual report and a clearer picture of the "improved ambulance" can be built up.
NRDC became involved with the ambulance study when, after having received several proposals for "advanced" ambulances, it felt there was justification in supporting an investigation which Ogle suggested. Backing to the tune of £4000 was agreed by NRDC and although this was apparently fixed before GLC agreed to share the costs, it is open to speculation that the possibility of GLC providing cash—an extra £1000—had a big influence on the NRDC decision. Much of the report is given over to medical considerations of ambulance design and surveys of equipment. The report runs to some 80 pages and appears to do a thorough job, but when it comes to detailed points of the specification of an "ideal ambulance" many statements seem to me to be open to dispute.
Knowledgeable people in the vehiclemanufacturing industry to whom I have spoken (some of them had been interviewed in connection with the study) question the value of the report, but although there may be some inaccuracies in the text, the sections recording results of investigations into medical attitudes in America and various parts of Europe, as well as Britain, will be of wide value.
Although it could be said that the report is the work of amateurs dabbling in the province of professionals, there can be value in a new mind looking at an established organization or system. The danger is that a report published with the backing of a body such as the NRDC can be taken as absolute authority by people not qualified to question particular technical points.
One major shortcoming in the recommendations for a design is, in my view, the absence of any realistic indication of the maximum gross weight that an emergency ambulance will have to be designed for; a figure of 1.8/2.0 tons quoted must be much too low. The report is also open to criticism in stating that the engine will have to be of two litres capacity, whereas the important factor is the power output. This is mentioned only once—as 100 bhp—and linked with a suggestion that a tuned version of a BMC 1800 engine could be suitable. I doubt if ambulance users would welcome highly tuned engines, and it is surprising that such a unit is proposed when the author elsewhere makes the statement that the "2.8 litre Jaguar engine . . . is likely to be expensive to maintain" when referring to the Dennis FD4. There is an unfortunate impression after reading the report that the authors have something against the Dennis design, although it meets the specification put forward in most respects. Clearly the cost of this unit is held to be its biggest disadvantage, as the price limit suggested for a complete ambulance is around £2500.
As stated in last week's report, a main conclusion of the study is that a front-wheel-drive chassis will be needed to enable a low floor height to be obtained. It is said that "only BMC appears capable of introducing a front-wheel-drive van". The author may have been encouraged in this view by being told at BMC that front-wheel drive for larger vans had been looked at. But then most other van makers must have considered the feasibility of this feature and its possible acceptance by operators.
The prospect can, however, be largely discounted. It is unlikely that the medium-van market in Britain would be sufficiently interested in front-wheel-drive to persuade a maker to spend something like £15m. on tooling for such a radical change in design. as against less than half this amount for a model developed from one with conventional layout. It is certainly unlikely that a total UK requirement for fewer than 1000 emergency ambulances a year would sway a manufacturer designing for a 30,000-a-year output even taking into account possibilities in other special fields such as mobile caravans.
Having made the assumption that availability of the right chassis would make the proposed design feasible, the report develops a price structure which can, in my view, be only a vain hope. In comparing prices of various UK and European ambulances, it is estimated that the total for the proposed design could be £1900 which is made up of £900 for the chassis, £600 for the conversion and £400 for equipment. This is less even than the "below standard" ambulances listed which include the Bedford J1 /Lomas quoted as £2500 and the GLC /BMC LD at £3000 (in both cases with full equipment).
It would have been of benefit if a proper appraisal of the Dennis FD4 had been made, with an investigation into the way in which this model could be altered to fit the requirements; Dennis states that the price could be brought down to about £3000 with a production rate of 500 a year or so.
A number of European front-wheel-drive vans are quoted as providing possibilities for conversion to ambulances. These are the Fiat 238, Citroen HY 1500, Lancia Jolly and Alfa Romeo F12. But none of these has an engine or interior width big enough to meet the requirements quoted. And other European designs which could possibly be more suitable such as the Hanomag F25 /F35 range and the Saviem SB2 Trafic /Alfa Romeo F20—are not mentioned.
Apart from front-wheel-drive, the characteristics stated as a requirement for the "improved ambulance" include all-independent suspension, automatic transmission, semi forward control and a maximum gvw of 1.8/2.0 tons. An interior length of 8ft. 6in. between the bulkhead and the rear wheel arch is quoted and the wheelbase is shown as 10ft. 9in. and the interior width 6ft, while a turning circle of 40ft. and interior height 6ft. 3in. are put as main requirements.
A "mock-up" has been produced by Ogle. I have not seen it but I was told that with an overall length of 17ft. 6in. it looks quite large and bigger than the normal BMC
LD-based ambulance, although NRDC says that the length could be reduced by about 2ft.
A Ford spokesman thought that an ambulance meeting all the requirements must be too expensive and a Bedford executive suggested that the report added little to what was known and he criticized the standard of reporting—for instance, his view that front-wheel-drive would not be feasible was omitted from the report of a meeting with Bedford personnel, and the irrelevant comment that the Bedford J1 was "developed from a 1932 Chevrolet" was included. The point was made by a number of people that it is all very well talking about desirables but that it is necessary to get down to practicalities.
This really is my main feeling after studying the report. The requirements are well covered, together with a method of meeting them. But one of the facts of life is that you can get whatever you require provided you can afford to pay for it but not if you have a price limit and this is the case with the "perfect" ambulance. There is nothing to stop such a vehicle being produced but I am convinced that the price would be way above that postulated in the Ogle report except in the unlikely event of a radical change in the van-design field in this country.