New Ambulance Design Protects Paramedics

Riding in an ambulance is about to become a lot safer for some central Florida paramedics.

A new state-of-the-art rig was designed in Winter Park by city firefighters and paramedics.

Because of them, paramedics around the country may soon feel a lot safer.

As paramedics in Daytona Beach found out last month, riding in an ambulance can be dangerous work. They were on the way to a hospital with a patient on board when they were broadsided by another vehicle.

Since 1991, 27 paramedics have died nationally in ambulance accidents. Many more have been injured. In most cases, it's because they bounce around in the ambulance while trying to treat patients.

That's about to change for Winter Park paramedics, thanks to Lt. Andrew Isaacs.

"We wanted to secure our paramedics and EMTs in the back of the ambulance as well as we secure our patient," he said.

"We wanted to put our paramedics in a harness seat on the bench, since this is where the paramedics sit. Secondary to that idea was all of our EMS supplies, everything that we use on a daily call, are within arm's reach."

Isaacs explained that a paramedic is secured in a five-point harness, with his shoulders in retractors, allowing him to slide forward to see the patient. He said the harness easily adjusts to the size of each paramedic.