It's been 100 years since the Army introduced motorized ambulances into their fleet back in 1917.
Though the rickety and primitive machines generated a ride that the combat-wounded evacuees termed a "ride to remember," numerous lives were saved because of the new transport that expedited movement to treatment facilities.
At Fort Hood's Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center (CRDAMC), a new "ride to remember" has been born: the electric go cart.
Similar to the evacuation carts used to transport injured athletes off the playing field, CRDAMC's two units have been in use since the hospital's April 2016 opening. Small and one tenth the size of today's high-speed, flashy ambulances, the $18,000 engines have a unique advantage over their big brothers: maneuverability.
"It can go where regular ambulances can't," said Fort Hood Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) Chris Boehne, who calls the new set of wheels a 'go cart on steroids.'
And why would CRDAMC need a go cart? CRDAMC's three multilevel parking garages.
"A parking garage clearance is typically about 8-foot-high," said Frederick Reed, Fort Hood's Emergency Medical Services (EMS) chief.
Too short, Reed said, for CRDAMC's ambulances, which are 10-feet high, 10-feet wide and 25-feet long.
"That ambulance just isn't going to fit into CRDAMC's 8-foot-high garage entrance," said Reed, adding that facility clearance isn't the only obstacle to ambulance entry. "In some of the larger cities, EMTs have to carry all the equipment up and down stairs to get to the patient and then physically carry that patient back down the stairway because there aren't any elevators."
Both obstacles are eliminated with the electric vehicle because the "Bubble Buddy" is equipped with nearly $50,000 of emergency and lifesaving equipment: a cardiac monitor, backboard, stretcher, wheelchair and a bag stocked with non-refrigerated medications and medical supplies.
"It really can do everything an ambulance can do," said Reed. "With the emergency-response vehicle, we're able to drive up to the patient, treat them or transport them to an ambulance or to the hospital. It has really enabled us to respond quicker and more efficiently."
The self-charging cart has a maximum speed of about 30 miles per hour and can hold a five-hour charge, according to Boehne.
"All you have to do is plug it in," said Boehne, adding that the Texas heat has yet to affect the engine's run time.
The load capacity for the go-cart is 700 pounds, which includes the equipment, the driver, the patient and a passenger. It also has a plastic cover to provide weather-protection cover.
"It's a great asset to have for a campus like this," said Boehne.
The carts are currently limited to garage evacuations, but could prove beneficial at on-post events that draw large crowds.
"The cart would allow us to easily maneuver through the crowd to provide that initial care," said Boehne, adding that the cart would be transported to the venue and an on-site ambulance would then expedite the patient to the hospital.
Although the cart is great for the road and on some turf, it isn't built for any major off-road driving. Still, Boehne said, it's fun to drive.
"It has its limits," he said, "but anytime you can drive around at work all day, it's fun."
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