Major disasters may necessitate removing large numbers of victims from scenes. A high-tech rescue design devised through the EUREKA European research and development network would allow responders to take them four at a time.

The EUREKA E! 3722 4 SAVE project came up with a novel double-decker four-stretcher support that can be installed across a range of on- and off-road vehicles. Built from high-performance materials, the box-kit system offers weight reductions of up to 50% from previous products and is easy to clean and disinfect.

"Our design required totally new ideas and construction, including use of high-performance aeronautics and aerospace materials such as titanium and carbon fiber," said Thomas Strobel of System Strobel, the German firm that coordinated the effort. "The project involved the development of aluminum extruded sections as guidance rails for the stretchers, specially protected links and pivots from high-grade steel with clamping guards, new fittings for different...stretcher standards and space-saving collapsible seats with retractor belts for the paramedics."

Additional innovations included a world-first aluminum stamping process for the rails and an intelligent balancing system that uses mechanical and gas piston springs. System Strobel has two decades' experience in building ambulances and emergency-response vehicles. More recently, the company began marketing aluminum-sandwich box-body adaptations. Its partner, Austria's EMPL, makes custom heavy-goods vehicle bodies.

Production should begin later this year. For more: www.eureka.be.

Related:

• Emergency Vehicle Innovations