Vehicle Fleet. Ambulances
If you are curious to see what SAMUR-Civil Protection ambulances look like on the inside, take a virtual tour of one of our ALS (Advanced Life Support) and BLS (Basic Life Support) ambulances).
Each year, the fleet of both medical and support vehicles is renewed. New state-of-the-art units are incorporated, increasingly equipped with better and more sophisticated equipment, to improve the quality of medical care for patients treated by SAMUR-Protección Civil.
Safer: the new Basic Life Support units have the highest standards of safety as regards accidents and are equipped with maximum exterior lighting, as all the unit’s signage is made of level III reflective material. The units carry a rear light sign which will indicate to citizens the status of that unit, whether it is heading to the scene of the incident or transporting the patient to the hospital.
In addition to this signage, the high-powered LED signalling increases safety, especially at night, and reduces the use of sirens during those hours.
More efficient: these ambulances consume less fuel and are therefore more environmentally friendly.
Ergonomics: the interior design of the Advanced Life Support units has been designed by a group of physicians, nurses and EMTs to facilitate the professionals’ daily work.
Equipment: EKG monitoring, capnometry, mechanical ventilation, pulse oximetry, infusion pumps, CO-oximetry, ultrasound and blood analysis.
Advanced Life Support (ALS) Units
These vehicles are specially designed to provide comprehensive medical care to patients in critically ill condition, both at the scene and during transport to the destination hospital.
Equipped with electromedicine, immobilization, communications, diagnostic and treatment equipment, each unit is manned by experienced and trained professionals to care of critically ill patients. A physician, a nurse and a EMT (Emergency Medical Technician) are the team members of the unit, when perfectly coordinated, can handle any type of emergency.
These units, together with the Basic Life Support Units (BLS), are distributed across the operational stations of the City of Madrid.
Basic Life Support (BLS) Units
These are vehicles prepared to provide medical care and transport to less seriously ill patients and operate under the supervision and coordination of the Emergency Physician on duty. The team of these units consists of two EMTs (Emergency Medical Technicians). For Civil Protection Basic Life Support Units (BLS), the team is composed of three or four volunteers.
Psychiatric Support Units (PSU)
These are medical transport vehicles specially designed for the transport of psychiatric patients. The team of these units is composed of three EMTs (Emergency Medical Technicians).
Psychological Intervention Unit (PIU)
The Psychological Intervention Unit (PIU) is a vehicle adapted to the circumstances in which the emergency psychologist performs his/her professional work. This vehicle serves to isolate the patient from the shocking, stress-generating situation and social pressure. Another function is to preserve the patients’ privacy, while creating a suitable environment for the patient to vent emotionally, communicate with other family members etc.
First Intervention Motorcycle
The SAMUR-Civil Protection "Halcón"(or Falcon in English) unit can provide initial care in difficult-to-reach locations or as a rapid advance team prior to the arrival of ambulances.
Created in June 2002, it currently has 12 motorcycles equipped with everything necessary to provide patient care in the first few minutes: a semi-automatic defibrillator, first-responder backpack, oxygen cylinder, cervical collars, pneumatic splints, gloves, and a service documentation folder.
First responder bicycles
This unit's main mission is to provide coverage in Madrid's large parks and green areas, as well as the coverage of scheduled services where there are large areas to be covered which are unsuitable for motor vehicles or where the presence of many people would make their transit dangerous. Among the most well-known are the Madrid Marathon, the Special Christmas Programme in the city center, the Three Kings' Parade, and sporting events in parks.
The volunteer members of this units, equipped with an automatic external defibrillator (AED), oxygen cylinder and disposable material, are trained to perform an initial first assessment and provide medical assistance wherever these units operate.
Rapid Intervention Vehicle
These are specially prepared vehicles for urgent or emergency health care in hard-to-reach or remote areas or in adverse weather conditions. These are equipped with the medical technology and equipment of an ALS ambulance but without the capacity to transport patients. These have the advantage of quickly reaching the location and subsequently determining the resource type to use for transport, if necessary.
These are equipped with communication equipment for intercommunication with the various units and the Dispatch Center, as well as the following medical materials: portable
ultrasound scanner, intraosseous vascular access equipment, rapid HIV-AIDS detection test, cardiac enzyme analyser, fibrinolytic drugs. Surgical equipment for emergency thoracotomy, self-contained breathing apparatus, megaphone and signposting cones, vests and helmets identifying the responsible personnel in the event of a mass casualty accident.
Emergency support and assistance vehicle
This High Mobility Tactical Vehicle (HMTV) is a four-wheel drive; all-terrain unit designed for off-road operations. Its exceptional mobility and rugged capabilities allow it to travel at high speeds across difficult terrain, even when fully loaded.
As one of SAMUR-Protección Civil’s primary tow vehicles, it plays a key role in supporting emergency operations in remote or hard-to-access areas such as forests, embankments, and other challenging environments.
Having a 188 horsepower and independent wheel suspension, it is capable of towing 3,500 kg and carrying a 5,300 kg load. It has the capacity to transport patients if necessary and, of course, is equipped with all the necessary medical equipment to care for a patient in any situation.
Mobile Pharmacy
This is a resource for operational logistics support on those days or during work periods in which its presence is required during daily operations. The mobile pharmacy is a vehicle manned by a medical transport technician (EMT).
Its main function is to replenish consumable materials, electromedical and pharmacological and electromedicine materials for all types of medical units. Therefore, following an intervention, the medical units can be refilled without having to travel to the central pharmacy store, reducing the vehicles’ downtime.
CBRN Intervention. Special Procedures Vehicle
The CBRN intervention vehicle is intended for use in emergency situations which may entail nuclear, radiological, bacteriological or chemical risks, such as those which may occur in an industrial accident, a terrorist attack or to support the care of high biological risk infectious patients.
It is equipped with equipment and materials for the installation of a decontamination line, protective equipment, radiological and chemical detection equipment, as well as support materials for mass casualty incidents.
SAMUR-Civil Protection was the first pre-hospital medical emergency service in Spain with appropriate resources to handle a CBRN risk emergency (the army did have such equipment). In 2003, a joint procedure was developed with the municipal fire department for coordinated response to these events. Since then, regular joint drills have been undertaken to prepare for such an emergency.
The unit has the capacity to decontaminate approximately 30 to 50 people per hour, sufficient to resolve most potential accidents of this type which may occur in our city. In the event of a major disaster, the unit ensures response to the initial impact pending the arrival of additional resources.
Prevention and Reaction Vehicle
These are rapid intervention vehicles which are intended to analyse risk and provide preventive services coverage. These vehicles carry basic life support material, for initial medical care and can act as a single resource or as part of a unit. Occasionally, the vehicle can be supplemented with equipment for civil protection tasks, such as cones, stretchers, and marking tape
Mobile CISEM
Houses the Advanced Command Post so that, in the event of a disaster, high-risk situations or major public events where advanced coordination of resources is essential and can be used both as an operational coordination centre for emergency services as well as a centralised location for information in relation to the event, both for decision-makers and the media. Located in a large bus, with the latest technological innovations in the telecommunications field.
Crisis Room: This room is designed to enable politicians and technicians to make decisions with all the information concerning the event available in real time. The meeting room is adapted to hold press conferences with a 3.5-meter table, 10 side seats, a front bench seat and a hall with capacity for 15 people.
Press Centre: Where media professionals can undertake his/her professional work using image and sound recording equipment.
Mobile Dispatch Centre: An operations room for managing emergencies and disasters equipped with the latest technological advances. It has 6 operator stations, one for controlling audiovisual equipment, and two supervisor stations.