WA Radio Scanner Users' Group

Mk6 Mercedes Sprinter 315 Ambulance
9th October 2007
After 12 months of development, the new Mk6 ambulance is finally complete and ready for the road.

It will be interesting to see these units out and about....

G

Definatley !!!

Also seeing how effective the LED modules on there as well during the day, still not a fan off 100% led lights on emeregncy vehicles only.

Over the coming weeks they will be touring to all the depots and hospitals around perth to familiarise both paramedics and hospital staff with the new van. After that, they will be rolling off the production line at one every 2 weeks, so they will be very abundant soon

So are the old ones going to the country or out to auction ?

I see one sub centre is selling a 1999 Ford Supercab....with 64.000klms the only 1999 were turbo diesel but apprantley this one is petrol.

Gee I think if WA banned older vehicles there would be some pretty empty depots

http://www.thewest.com.au/aapstory.aspx ... ame=426871
Melbourne paramedics say they have been ordered to use ambulances this weekend that they believe to be unsafe.
They say the Metropolitan Ambulance Service (MAS) has threatened them with $6,000 fines unless they use the vehicles, which have exceeded their agreed service life of three years or 150,000km.

Ambulance Employees Australia (AEU) general secretary Steve McGhie says the vehicles need to be in perfect working order or they pose a risk to the public, patients and paramedics.

An ambulance was held up for 35 minutes on Thursday because of automotive failure when called to attend to a baby suffering from anaphylactic shock at Newport, in Melbourne's inner west, he said.

"Any mechanical failure would mean critical delays to emergency and life-threatening cases," Mr McGhie said.

Mechanical problems in vehicles being driven at speeds of up to 160km/h could be a major risk to public safety, he said.

Mr McGhie said MAS was acting in defiance of a recommendation by the Australian Industrial Relations Commission that ambulances be taken off the road after 150,000km or three years - whichever came first.

He said ambulances in NSW were replaced after 111,000km and in South Australia after 100,000km.

The MAS denied the vehicles were unsafe, saying the current Mercedes Benz ambulances could operate well beyond the three-year, 150,000km threshold.

MAS general manager operations Keith Young said the Mercedes vehicles were checked by the service's engineers, an independent engineer chosen by the AEU and the Monash University Accident Research Centre.

"The engineers all felt the vehicles were safe and could quite safely run beyond that timeline," Mr Young said.

Mr Young said the MAS was hoping to increase the agreed life span which was put in place before the current fleet was rolled out.

He said the MAS had applied to the Industrial Relations Commission to make any work bans illegal.

Our old Ford here in Narrogin is 15 years old and has 22,000 on it, so someone will get a bargain, everyone refuses to drive it because of how dangerous it is.

ZO100_marto wrote:Gee I think if WA banned older vehicles there would be some pretty empty depots

Im surprised SJA got away with it for so long with the F series.

Schism_ Just curious how is it dangerous ?

Is it a mark III or mark iv ?

One mark iv had pull up levers for the lockers and the other series of mark iv had central locking lockers. If its a mark III im surprised it didnt get flogged off already.

Mark III, crap brakes, crap suspension... I only use it if I have to.

Word is the first Mk VI Merc is one the road at Kewdale.

Who's gonna be the first to get some shots of it in action?

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I actually saw one with Smithy heading Southbound on saftey bay road towards Mandurah/Rocky about a week ago.

bomber wrote:The delivery schedule for these is suppose to be 1 every 2 weeks, so wont take long for them to be seen everywhere.

Would that be the same delivery schedule was meant there wasn't going to be an ambulance on the road older than 3yrs when they first introduced the Mercs?

ive seen the new ambos driving around a bit in the south east metro area recently (vic park / kewdale / welshpool). very nice looking. didnt have time to whip out the mobile phone unfortunately.

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In my local newspaper yesterday they had a picture of the new mercs on the front cover. For those of you who dont get the Wanneroo Times I am sure you can look at the communty news website and find it on there.