Black box recording devices for ambulances

Jun 2 2004

Technology similar to the "black box" recording devices on aircraft is making a marked difference in safety performance for the country's largest ambulance service provider. American Medical Response, Inc., using event recorders in its ambulance fleet to monitor the driving of its medical crews, is measuring substantial improvements in road safety.

Several national studies have noted that ambulance medical crews face substantial risk of injury or death due to vehicle collisions, making the emergency medical service (EMS) profession similarly dangerous to law enforcement or fire fighting. AMR Vice President of Safety and Risk Ron Thackery is presenting the results from nearly two-years of use of the Road Safety 3000 monitors by AMR and its ambulance crews to the Society of Automotive Engineers Conference on June 3 in Washington, D.C.

The results, Thackery says, is an industry leading road safety record at AMR, in which collisions and near misses have been reduced, and investigations into collisions produce corrective action based on recorded data. "Data is collected every second the vehicle is on the road," said Thackery. "The driver gets a 10-second grace period in which she hears a growling noise to indicate behavior outside of the safest parameters. Then it turns into a tone, indicating a penalty."

AMR tracks speed in both emergency and non-emergency situations, cornering, acceleration, deceleration, vehicle reverses, and seat belt usage. Company management tracks individual driving performance by its paramedics and emergency medical technicians.

American Medical Response, Inc. (http://www.amr.net), the nation's largest provider of medical transportation, is locally operated in 32 states. More than 18,000 AMR paramedics, EMTs and other professionals transport over four million patients nationwide each year in emergency, critical and non-emergency situations.