Chantilly, VA  – The City of Memphis (Tenn.) Fire Department, in cooperation with the Memphis/Shelby County Metropolitan Medical Response System (MMRS) recently purchased an AmbuBus (Bus Stretcher Conversion Kit) for mass casualty transport and care in anticipation of potential disasters including earthquakes, as the city is located on the New Madrid fault line. Memphis public health leaders are eager to protect citizens from and care for them after devastating disasters like the March 2011 magnitude 9 earthquake and tsunami in Japan. Memphis is just one of the most recent additions of localities and municipalities that incorporate First Line Technology’s AmbuBus into their disaster preparedness plans.

“In these tough economic times, many state and local governments are searching for ways to cut spending while continuing to ensure the safety of their citizens, and they are finding the AmbuBus,” said First Line Technology President Amit Kapoor. “By using the cost-effective AmbuBus Kit in a No-Notice configuration instead of a costly ambulance bus that serves only one purpose, municipalities are finding that saving money and saving lives are not mutually exclusive. An earthquake is a no-notice event and the permanently installed AmbuBus Kit is a quick tool for mass evacuation and care. However, the City of Memphis Fire Department realizes that unlike a costly ambulance bus, the AmbuBus is reconfigurable in the field and transferable in case of vehicle failure.”

Using funding provided by the Memphis/Shelby County MMRS, the City of Memphis Fire Department was able to purchase the AmbuBus Kit, which has the capability to carry all supplies and equipment related to mass medical surge and transportation capabilities that may be required during natural and manmade disasters. The permanently installed Memphis AmbuBus will hold up to 12 non-ambulatory or stretcher-bound patients within the special needs community – including the wheelchair-bound, ill, or aged.

“The Memphis and Shelby County Metropolitan Medical Response System (MMRS) is always looking for products that will assist us and better prepare us for large events and mass casualties. The AmbuBus was a perfect fit,” said EMS Lt. Jim Logan of the Memphis Fire Department, which just completed a successful rescue mock plane crash using the AmbuBus. “This region’s MMRS Steering Committee is dedicated to continued purchases and use of this valuable, practical and economical product.”

The permanently installed conversion kit enables a standard school bus, metropolitan bus, or any other daily assets to be converted into a vehicle that can safely transport up to one dozen victims of mass casualty incidents to local medical facilities. This kit will facilitate care and transport of special needs patients and other patients that require non-ambulatory transport to shelters, alternative care facilities, and hospitals.

The AmbuBus is available in multiple configurations. The City of Memphis Fire Department’s purchase makes use of the No-Notice (Permanent) AmbuBus Kit which is a permanently installed AmbuBus Kit that allows a mass transit vehicle to be converted into a turnkey mass casualty transport system for earthquakes and other no-notice disasters. Other configurations include the On-Demand (Temporary) configuration, which allows for the use of an everyday vehicle to be converted on-demand into a mass casualty transport system for hurricanes and other disasters that provide some notice and the Surge (Free-Standing) configuration, which enables efficient use of limited floor space during staging and sheltering operations or hospital surge capacity.

AmbuBus Bus-Stretcher Conversion Kit The AmbuBus Bus-Stretcher Conversion Kit from First Line Technology is an effective and efficient solution for mass evacuation and transport of special needs patients, casualties and others who require non-ambulatory transport. The kit quickly and easily retrofits vehicles of opportunity into mass casualty transport vehicles. Organized into one palletized kit, an existing passenger bus can be transformed into an mass casualty transport vehicle capable of carrying up to 18 stretchers plus medical staff and equipment.

About First Line Technology First Line Technology, LLC supplies Out of the Box Solutions to first responders and the military.  Since 2003, First Line has established itself as a leader in new product development and distribution with innovative yet simple solutions. First Line prides itself on creating high-quality products that are comfortable, effective, and safe for use in an All-Hazards response.

For more information, contact: Amit Kapoor Phone: (703) 955-7510, ext. 121

Jennie Tal Williams Phone: (703) 955-7510, ext. 127 Email: pr@firstlinetech.com Website: www.firstlinetech.com