Photo/Allentown EMS
Allentown, Pennsylvania was awarded $141,000 for the purchase of a new ambulance from the Local Share Agreement (LSA) established in the Pennsylvania Gaming Act for Lehigh and Northampton counties from revenue generated by a local casino.
The vehicle is a 2021 Horton Ambulance mounted on a Ford Cutaway Van Chassis complete with the Horton Occupant Protection System (HOPS)—a safety system that utilizes two types of airbag deployment, multi-density head protection, and a four-point seatbelt harness to mitigate the severity of a crash.
It includes a powered ambulance stretcher featuring a battery-powered hydraulic system that raises and lowers with a touch of a button capable of handling patients of up to 700 pounds and a power-load system which is an electric over hydraulic motor that lifts the stretcher and supports it on a rail to load in the ambulance.
Its safety and security features include rearview cameras as well as automatic perimeter lighting anytime the vehicle is in reverse; all doors including rear and side doors can be locked at any of the seated positions; patient area windows can be “blacked” out for patient privacy and crew safety; and keypad entry pads on exterior doors secure the ambulance and allow for keyless entry upon return.
A Needlepoint Bipolar Ionization unit has been installed to provide continuous air purification.
The price of the ambulance chassis and equipment is $200,000. The power load system and stretcher were removed from an out-of-service unit and reinstalled into the new ambulance saving the city $45,000.
The ambulance will replace a currently out-of-service emergency vehicle.
