Australia is a rough and rugged place. Head out to the bush, and you’ll be keeping your head on a swivel for threats from snakes, spiders, and drop bears alike. Head to the city, and the rent alone will give you a heart attack, let alone the price of a small coffee. With peril around every corner, emergency services need vehicles that can quickly get help where it’s needed—and damn the terrain!
As covered by Region Riverina, New South Wales Ambulance has thus developed emergency vehicles fit for the task. The rescue agency has commissioned these special Hazardous Area Rescue Ambulance (HARA) vehicles for delivering medical care in areas where humble road vehicles would fear to tread.
In recent years, Australians have faced down terrifying fires and harrowing floods on an all-too-regular basis. There is a greater need for go-anywhere rescue vehicles than ever. As is often the case in these scenarios, it turns out a certain Mercedes-Benz product is usually the answer.
If these ambulances look familiar, it’s probably because they’re based on the Mercedes-Benz Unimog—one of the most capable and versatile off-road platforms out there. The Unimog was created as a multipurpose agricultural vehicle that could be used for all kinds of disparate tasks in tough conditions. That’s led to it serving as a base for all kinds of different utility vehicles—with ambulances being a particularly popular build on the platform.
The Unimog currently relies on the OM 934 LA diesel engine in Australia. The turbocharged 5.1-liter engine is rated for 227 horsepower and a massive 663 pound-feet of torque, and rated to meet Euro VI emissions standards. Notably, the drivetrain also features portal axles for additional ride height.
Bushfire protection is perhaps the most key feature for these vehicles. They’ve been fitted with an exoskeleton cage to protect against falling trees and other debris. Beyond that, the vehicles have been fitted with flame-retardant material in critical areas and had easily-flammable components replaced with hardier variants. There’s also a “burn-over” crew protection system to help keep the occupants safe in the event the vehicle is overtaken by a raging flame front. There’s also the mesh on the windows and hood to further protect against harm.
The HARA is also capable of wading through flood water up to 1.2 meters deep—useful given the nature of contemporary Australian disasters. This is an upgrade option on the Unimog—and something you should never attempt in a regular vehicle.
Meanwhile, on the inside, the vehicle is kitted out as a fully-functional ambulance. In particular, it has a special stretcher loading system to aid paramedics and keep patients safe. This is important due to the higher load height, itself a result of the high ground clearance necessary for off-road duties.
The vehicles will be stationed at important “heavy rescue stations” to best serve the people of New South Wales. Deployments will see HARA vehicles at Tamworth, Rutherford, Cowra, Wagga Wagga, and Bomaderry, while they’ll also do duty with special operations teams at Point Claire and Sydney.
“The HARA vehicles are the first of their kind and an essential addition to our fleet, giving clinicians greater access to patients during natural disasters, such as in fire grounds and floods,” said Dr Dominic Morgan, chief executive of NSW Ambulance. “The 4WD vehicles will be operated by our highly trained special operations paramedics and have been specifically modified by NSW Ambulance to withstand harsh environments.”
If you’re out in the bush and stranded because your dodgy ute has broken down, and there’s a fire bearing down, you’d be mighty pleased to see one of these mighty HARA ambulances honing in on your position. Here’s to the Unimog taking on another tough job, and to the paramedics and drivers who will put these vehicles to excellent use.
Image credits: NSW Ambulance, SouthSide Emergency Responses via YouTube screenshot
That Unimog is a lot more elaborate than our local Adventure Ambulance outfit. They specialize in medical cover for ski races, trail running etc. and just use a 4×4 Dodge Ram with the usual Ambulance box
I drove a 4X4 F350 based ambulance on unpaved roads in the 1990’s in the Air Force, I still have my military driver’s license that says I am qualified to drive that along with an AmBus (ambulance bus) and a 10K forklift.
I have yet to ride in a Unimog, but would gladly forego that pleasure in one of these —cool as they are
These are absolutely sick. Unimog the world!
I dunno, for a chance to interact with this beast something might have gone terribly right.
It’s cool, but still not as cool as McLeach’s Bushwhacker from Rescuers Down Under. 😉
HOME, HOME ON THE RANGE! WHERE THE CRITTERS ARE TIED UP IN CHAINS! I CUT THROUGH THEIR SIDE! AND I RIP OFF THEIR HIDES! AND TOMORROW I’ll DO IT AGAIN!!!
I wonder how many people are WTFing after reading this. 😀
Some people just don’t appreciate the classics.
Wow, combine HARA with the Royal Flying Doctors Service and you’ve almost got International Rescue. Thunderbirds are go!
This is a sledgehammer of a tool. Slow, heavy, expensive, and still limited by the terrain.
I know helicopters aren’t cheap, but at some point they start to make sense.
As someone on the first responder side of these things, there is a definite use and need for both.
Helicopters are faster and generally able to get to areas inaccessible or difficult to access by ground vehicles. However, they can’t operate in extremely harsh, weather – high winds, low visibility, etc. – and they need either sufficiently sized landing zones or areas free of tree cover for hoisting. They also are generally smaller inside and so can carry less equipment. They are also much more expensive to purchase, maintain, and, operate. Finally, helicopters are inherently dangerous to operate in and around.
Ground based vehicles, on the other hand, are, as you say, slower and limited by terrain. However, they are less expensive to own and operate, can travel in more inclement weather, in some ways can access areas a helicopter can’t, and can be better equipped for critical care, etc.
From my direct, personal, experience you opt for ground-based rescue first and because of the added risk only go to airborne due to the inaccessibility of terrain, time needed to access the patient in a remote area, or critical nature of the injuries, etc.
Cool insight, thanks.
First responder in WI here, can confirm. Too many times I’ve transported a patient in a ground ambulance instead of a helicopter because the weather was too rainy/foggy/snowy/all 3 for them to fly. Bad weather slows down trucks too, even with auto-deployable tire chains.
Moral of the story? Avoid a ride in any kind of ambulance! Stay safe out there, folks!
I recently saw a meme that said something to the effect of “In the US, it’s common courtesy to ask an injured person if they would prefer to die before you load them into an ambulance”.
To add, you can train a person to operate an ambulance in a few days. Piloting a helicopter is an order of magnitude more complex and risky.