NEW AMBULANCE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 15 December 1938, Page 6

NEW AMBULANCE

HANDSOME & EFFICIENT VEHICLE. OBTAINED FOR MASTERTON . HOSPITAL. The new ambulance ordered by the Wairarapa Hospital Board has now ar■ived in Masterton and will shortly be put into service. Built on a standard Ford V 8 chassis, it is not only imposing in appearance but is ; also attrac,ive in design. The interior is finished in white with Drown upholstery. Three patients can De carried comfortably, one stretcher Panging from the roof and one on wheels on the floor, while a third patient could be placed on a wide seat running the length of the body. The mattress of each stretcher is of rubber while that on the folding seat is a rubber and hair cushion. A concealed step at the rear folds down to a convenient position when required. Locker space .s also provided inside for storing firstlid and medical equipment. Between the driver’s cab and the interior is a division of shatter-proof glass and the dome lights inside are operated by the driver, as also is an dluminated Red Cross sign on the front, for night driving. The spare tyres are mounted on the sides of the body and it is interesting to note that all the tyres on the machine are of a special type recommended by the Transport Department for easy riding on ambulances.

The upholstery is of genuine New Zealand hide and the standard Ford chassis was specially lengthened for ambulance work. The bodywork was built by Standard Motor Bodies Ltd., □f Wellington, and the finished product was supplied to the Hospital Board by Fagan Motors Ltd. This new ambulance will be retained for use from the Masterton Hospital. It has been built to specifications provided as a result of the experience in Australia and New Zealand, and is of the very latest type.