Awareness
Keeping an emergency services fleet operational is far more complex than simply servicing and repairing vehicles.
It involves everything from tyres, maintenance and vehicle conversions to the design and positioning of medical equipment, replacement planning, lead times, costing, exchange-rate volatility, budgeting, and forecasting, all while ensuring vehicles remain available when patients need them.
Rhett Davis, Procurement & Fleet Manager at ER24 & Mediclinic Related Business, explains what happens behind the scenes to keep an emergency services fleet moving.
"It's about keeping our fleet operational, and it's a collaborative big team effort," says Davis.
An ambulance is also very different from an ordinary car. A private car may have one or two regular drivers throughout its lifespan. An ambulance operating around the clock can have six to eight or more different drivers at a single branch, with crews changing across shifts.
"Everybody's got their own driving style, both good and bad habits," he says.
That intensity of use inevitably places additional demands on the vehicle. Components such as clutches, brakes and gearboxes can experience significant wear, while engines may also require attention over the vehicle's lifespan.
Preventative maintenance and daily checks are therefore critical. Each vehicle is checked at every shift change, with the checklist covering both the vehicle and critical medical equipment.
Servicing is carried out according to the manufacturer's recommended intervals. For example, Davis says some Toyota diesel vehicles are serviced every 10,000 km or annually, whichever comes first.
Following these intervals is an important part of protecting the vehicle's warranty, managing maintenance costs, and reducing the risk of major mechanical failures, ultimately helping to keep emergency vehicles available and ready to respond.
What happens when an ambulance breaks down?
A breakdown is inconvenient for any motorist. For emergency services, it can become more serious, particularly when a patient is on board.
If an ambulance has a mechanical problem while travelling without a patient, the crew calls the ER24 Contact Centre. The vehicle is then towed to the nearest dealership for assessment and repair.
If an ambulance breaks down while responding to an emergency or transporting a patient, the Contact Centre sends the closest available vehicle to take over. This vehicle will either continue the emergency response or transport the patient.
The original ambulance is then taken to the right dealership for assessment and repair.
This plan helps ensure a mechanical problem does not stop the emergency response.
How long can an ambulance stay on the road?
There is no fixed answer. Davis says ER24 has had vehicles with remarkably different lifespans – from one that was involved in an accident just 13 minutes after being collected to an ambulance that was sold recently with 862 000km on the clock.
The aim is not to keep every ambulance on the road indefinitely. Davis says ER24 would ideally like operational ambulances to move out of frontline service before reaching around 350 000-400 000km. Some can then move into a pool before eventually being sold.
The organisation replaces around 20-22 ambulances and 6-7 response vehicles each year, he says.
Designing an ambulance around the patient
Choosing the right vehicle is only part of the process. The interior must support the crew working inside it.
Davis says ER24 designs its vehicles with input from the teams who use them every day. This helps make sure the patient area is practical. Crews need to reach the patient easily and have lifesaving equipment close by, such as defibrillators, ECG monitors, and ventilators.
For ER24’s Critical Care Retrieval Service (CCRS) ambulances, ICU crews help design the rear patient area before the final design is approved.
The aim is to create a space that allows medical teams to treat, monitor, and manage patients as effectively as possible while on the move.
The safety features you may never notice
Some key ambulance features are easy to miss, but they’re designed to help protect both patients and crews while an ambulance is on the road:
- Visibility matters, especially when emergency vehicles travel at night or in bad weather. Davis points to the chevron markings on the back of newer ambulances, which help other road users to see them more easily.
- Inside the ambulance, patient restraints and secure seating for crew members are also essential.
- ER24 has also introduced a low-frequency siren system alongside the conventional siren. The system produces vibrations that can be felt through the road, rather than relying solely on sound. Davis says this is especially useful when approaching intersections, where the risk of collisions involving emergency vehicles is greater.[IV1]
Looking towards a more sustainable fleet
Fleet management is also changing as emergency services consider fuel efficiency and sustainability.
Around the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, ER24 began introducing Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid petrol-electric SUVs as response vehicles in metropolitan areas. Davis says they have proved reliable and fuel efficient, and hybrids are likely to remain part of the fleet's future.
Fully electric models present different challenges for emergency medical services. Unlike an administrative vehicle that can return to a base and charge overnight, an emergency response vehicle must be ready to travel whenever a call comes in. Davis says limited DC charging infrastructure and the need to maintain a sufficient range during an emergency response are among the factors ER24 must consider.
For now, the focus is on hybrids, with plug-in hybrids also being considered as the technology becomes more accessible.
A team effort behind every response
Fleet management extends far beyond the corporate office. Regional support coordinators, operational staff, technical specialists, dealerships, and vehicle manufacturers all play a role in keeping ER24 vehicles on the road.
Even selecting the right tyre takes careful thought. Davis says ER24 works with technical teams to look at safety, practical use, and cost. They choose different tyres depending on the vehicle and where it will be used.
When you’re waiting for an ambulance, most of this work is invisible. But every inspection, service, repair and design decision contributes to one goal: having a safe and reliable vehicle ready when someone needs help.