San Antonio Fire Chief Charles Hood said the vehicle will save the need for ten ambulances.

SAFD’s new ‘AmBus’ will be able to provide assistance within three hours to places as far away as Corpus Christi. Photo: Joey Palacios/TPR.
September 4, 2012 · In the event of mass casualties for an emergency situation in South Texas, the San Antonio Fire Department will be able to care for, transport, and evacuate up to 24 people at a time with its new AmBus.

San Antonio Fire Chief Charles Hood said the vehicle will save the need for ten ambulances.

“When an event occurs and that results in a high number of casualties, the process of triage and moving these patients to hospitals is a key component to mitigating any event,” Hood said.

The AmBus is filled with stretchers and medical equipment for minor treatment. There will be 13 of the buses around the state divided up into 11 regions, and the San Antonio area will actually have two buses; the other is already owned by the Schertz Fire Department.

Schertz Paramedic Brandon Hill said when the AmBus is not being used for civilian emergencies, the fire department uses it to care for on-duty fire fighters.

“Especially in this heat they’ve been able to come out of a fire, kind of come on to the bus, relax, stay in the air-conditioning. We rehydrate them; give them food if we need to. We just monitor their vital signs, make sure they’re safe to back into a fire if the need to,” said Hill.

San Antonio’s AmBus was placed on standby for a commuter bus crash and Hurricane Isaac support within 48 hours of it being in commission.