Catalonia begins this April 15 the gradual deployment of the new ambulances of the Sistema d"Emergències Mèdiques, a renovation that starts in the Terres de l"Ebre and will then extend to the rest of the territory. The new contract mobilizes nearly 2,000 million euros to put into service more than 1,600 vehicles and reinforce the staff with more than 600 health emergency technicians.
Las Terres de l"Ebre open the new deployment
The first region to debut the new model will be Terres de l"Ebre, where 114 ambulances will come into operation, 40 more than in the current fleet. The management will correspond to SANIR Movilidad Sanitaria, with a budget of 129.1 million euros.
The deployment is part of a far-reaching renovation of urgent and non-urgent medical transport, with new types of vehicles and a leap in care equipment. Among the novelties, the advanced life support units will be able to perform ultrasounds and blood tests at the emergency scene itself, which will allow expanding the diagnostic capacity before the transfer.
El Camp de Tarragona will join in June
In Camp de Tarragona, the new model will enter service on June 10. In this area, management will remain in the hands of Ivermon Ambulancias Egara, with a budget of 155.1 million euros.
The renovation incorporates new generation medical material to improve the response of the teams. The ambulances will have gas analyzers, videolaryngoscopes, vibrating mesh nebulizers, caterpillar chairs and stretchers adapted for patients weighing more than 170 kilos. They will also add child restraint systems for minors from 2.5 kilos.
New vehicles and more visibility on the road
The SEM also incorporates three new types of vehicles. These are logistical support units, multi-purpose ambulances, and 100% electric shuttle vehicles intended for transfers and medical discharges. With this change, the service expands its operational capacity and adapts part of the fleet to more specific functions.
Another of the visible changes will be on the exterior of the vehicles. The design adopts the Battenberg pattern in fluorescent green, with a visibility of up to 500 meters, and adds perimeter, front, and side lighting systems to reinforce safety on the road and during night operations.
The new ambulances also incorporate animal-scaring devices that emit sounds inaudible to people but perceptible to wildlife, with the aim of reducing risks during circulation. To that is added an improvement in communications, with more radio channels, individual radios for each professional, and greater connectivity. The deployment starts now in the south of the country and will mark the beginning of the progressive renewal of the SEM fleet in Catalonia.