On Thursday, 22nd February the volunteers from the Norfolk Accident Rescue Service (NARS) launched their new multi-purpose rapid response vehicle. A long-wheelbase Transporter from our Norwich Van Centre was chosen to replace the aging Audi A6 allroad which has served this charity for almost 10 years.

Established in 1970, NARS provides expert medical help at the scene of serious road crashes and other life-threatening medical emergencies. Robinsons Van Centres, Keith Bridger, worked with NARS to adapt a Volkswagen Commercial vehicle to meet all the criteria they set out. Moving from a car to a van meant the team could carry all of their equipment and room for passengers without having to consider the payload of the vehicle, as with their experience in the A6. Opting for 204 PS, a powerful twin-turbo engine has quickly proven its worth with one driver claiming that you couldn’t even notice the substantial amount of medical equipment being transported.

Plans were put into action thanks to a Gift in a Will; making the brand-new Transporter or ‘Medic 22’ unit an incredible legacy. This vehicle met all of the criteria outlined on the wish list from the Charity:

• Needs to be fast - to get to incidents quickly.
• Four-wheel drive - to cope with hazardous conditions.
• Room for a driver and three passengers.
• Space to stow all the current emergency medical equipment and more.
• Multi-incident capability.
• Strong road presence with highly visible livery and blue lights.
• Sophisticated data communications with future-proof connectivity.
• The capability to act as a mobile training centre.

The doctors and paramedics who volunteer to NARS have received extra training to provide specialised trauma care and can administer more drugs at the scene of a crash or cardiac arrest, vital during the critical moments of an incident. This service comes with a lot of specialist equipment, and specific adaptations needed to be made to the Transporter to store it safely. A vehicle conversion specialist has built in every component, including a series of racks and storage units for equipment, a cooler for drugs and a warming unit for fluids.

Flashing the blue lights expected from any emergency unit, the Transporter stood side-by-side with its predecessor at the launch outside the Forum. The Lord Mayor of Norwich, Cllr David Fullman cut the ribbon and declared the new Medic 22 operational. The older Audi A6 allroad, which has clocked over 90,000 miles with the team will remain operational, but on secondary duties.