[NEW] Prague EMS BLS ambulance + Municipal Police cruiser responding [CZ | 23.5.2024]
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- čas přidán 6. 09. 2024
- Seen here is a new BLS ambulance (unit 218) from Prague's Emergency Medical Services (Czech abbreviation: ZZSHMP) as well as a new Prague Municipal Police Volkswagen Caddy cruiser responding. More details below 🔽
BLS AMBULANCES - A NOVELTY IN PRAGUE
Prague EMS did not have BLS (or medical transport) ambulances in the past. Regular emergency ambulances covered all calls, including low acuity calls that have increased in recent years. These calls generally do not require emergency care nor lights and sirens but people still need help and most of the calls still need to be transported to a hospital or medical facility. The number of these calls has become so big that it's obviously a waste of resources to further cover these with emergency ambulances. In 2023 Prague EMS introduced the medical transport ambulance system for these low acuity calls and as backup for emergency calls.
A quick and temporary solution was the use of older ambulances from other regions. They received mostly white graphics and the ZZSHMP lettering and were soon placed into service. At some recent point Prague EMS received these new Volkswagen Crafter/ Sicar BLS ambulances.
It's also interesting that ZZSHMP breaks up their tradition of only using Mercedes vehicles.
WAIT, JUST BLUE LIGHTS?
Anyone who frequently watches my videos is used to seeing red and blue emergency lights on (new) Czech emergency vehicles. So why do these two new vehicles only come with blue lights? Simply said, these vehicles are not allowed to have red and blue lights.
1) ZZSHMP BLS ambulance: Prague EMS itself is an official EMS provider so Czech law allows them to use red and blue lights on all vehicles that are used for emergencies. But as far as I understand, their medical transport service legally isn't an emergency rescue service so the vehicles do not meet the requirement for red lights. Red & blue lights should only represent actual 112/ 911 emergency service vehicles according to Czech law.
2) Prague Municipal Police: By law, the Czech State Police is the only law enforcement agency allowed to use red lights. Municipal Police Departments are excluded because from the law's perspective, they're not seen as a primary emergency service provider for law enforcement.
Right now Czech law tries to distinguish emergency vehicles that respond to actual 150/ 155/ 158 (or 112/ 911) emergency calls from other types of "emergency" vehicles that are not primary emergency response vehicles.
Personally I think that every agency and every vehicle with lights & sirens should be allowed to use red and blue lights. In the end lights & sirens all do the same - they request the right of way and warn other people of a parked emergency vehicle / hazard.
What are your thoughts about the current Czech law?
Prague, Czechia/ Czech Republic, May 23, 2024.
Beautiful ambulance!!! And Prague Municipal Police omg!!!! 1000/10 :D Awesome catch, amigo!!
Thanks!
I'll just add that the vehicle doesn't even qualify as a BLS. It is a classic "transport vehicle", in our state called DRNR (transport of the wounded, sick and pregnants). It was originally supposed to be a BLS, but after a confusions in the tender documentation, it was subsequently downgraded to a DRNR. So it has the most ridiculous equipment and more capacity to transport (1 recumbent and 3 seated patients). The crew members are "only" two medical transport service drivers. This service was created to relieve EMS crews from handling non-emergency transports.
I was thinking of using the term "BLS" for simplicity reasons. It is an internationally known term and I frequently questioned myself if everyone understands the term "medical transport ambulance" which I've been using for years. I don't know about the equipment of this particular unit and the training of the staff of this unit. What I know is that the VW Transporters are mostly just taxis with a stretcher 😄
Maybe I should do a poll to see what others think.
ps: I love your work! 😁 I've recently also discovered your images of Vrancice which I plan to visit myself in the coming months 😄
Do you know of any large exercises in this year? You can also email me at RTobiYT@gmail.com
Great catch! Is that new model of volkswagen crafter?
Thank you! I would expect it to be a new Crafter.
Well, some info to your description. Prague EMS had a BLS in a past. But it was more than 20+ years before. There was a criticism of this by some people, who are working in EMS or in health care, even some EMS workers actually remember those times, when Prague had their own BLS ambulances / medical transports and they are arguing about that, because Prague EMS presented this as whole new thing, but its not, they disbanded their BLS ambulances in past and now, they are changing that again.
second thing, this Sicar Crafters are the same Crafters, that EMS of Ústecký region is using for their RLP companies and for me, its a little bit comic, because in Ústecký region its actually advanced ALS ambulance with emergency doctor, and in Prague its used as a secondary BLS unit :-d Months before, because of this, EMS of Ústecký region actually borrowed one of this Crafters to the Prague and it was based for some time in Prague, using livery from Ústí, but responding in Prague, so Prague EMS could test them and then make their own opinion. They even used those electric platforms and electric stretchers, another thing, they wanted to test in Prague. To this day, i couldnt be able to see this Prague Crafter inside, so for now, i cant give you more info, about that how many changes or similiraties are between those Prague and Ústí Crafters. I will try to changed it soon :-D
And about Mercedes vehicles.. i am scared, that this tradition will going to be broken way more in a future. Mercedes is not using their 3.0 engines anymore (there were a lot of ambulances, which had a mileage about 500000 km and they were still fully function) and now, they are sharing the same engines and other things with Crafters/MAN TGE, so they lost their biggest advantage. The newest variel ambulances are horrible and shitty, there were so many malfunctions, poorly made things and so on... So in future, Prague is going to buy more cheaper vehicles i think, they want to build that big centralized EMS station on Prosek, which will hold EMS operators, EMS administrative and EMS specialized equipment and services all together in one building. Dont forget about that white Skoda Karoq, which is used by the EMS supervisor of some districts.. And for EMS Inspector, next car will be VW Touareg, its already parked in Prague.
Interesting to hear that 😄 Thank you!
Interesting to hear that as well. I guess since both are Sicar, the interior layout might be the same. Just that the Prague BLS ambulance are not having as much equipment as the Usti units.
I've heard that Mercedes discontinues their strong engines which is a huge drawback. Variel is the manufacturer of the new standard ambulances in Prague, right? I haven't heard anything about how good these ambulances are so I'm really interested to hear feedback.
I've also seen images of the VW Touareg. Sicar and Federal Signal again... 😐 but they look interesting.
I know about the other new EMS station they're now building at HS3 in Holesovice. Holesovice is a fun station for spotting and the EMS station will make it even busier there 😄
@@Rummeltobi no prob :-)
Yea i thought it could be like that. :-D They should all be based in Vršovice, Praha 10 district, street and station "NA Míčánkách", next to it, there is a big court building :-d
Yea it really is. Those 2.0 engines are not bad in terms of power, but well, its biturbo and as we say, you cant replace the volume of engine, so its not that good.
Yea, thats Variel. I know Prague ambulances well, KOV were some reliable good but older and heavy units, then BAUS came, there were problems at the start, but i think, after sometime, they are much better, but Variel? holy fucking shit, polish piece of junk. Got feedback from many, many EMS crews, sometimes it happened to me, but those ambulances are just horible.
Yea :-d Exactly!
@@Bosko243 Interesting to know. I'm really looking forward to all the new stuff in Prague!
I would really love to hear more stories about those Variel units and the issues they have.
The siren needs a better speaker!
The siren of the ambulance is way too quiet. I assume Sicar mounted the speaker somewhere badly hidden behind the bumper. Personally I would have never accepted that and I wouldn't place a vehicle into service with such an obvious hazard. I'll be waiting for the day when they replace this Federal Signal Vama siren with a Whelen siren.
Nice catch! According to these laws, its not only the Hungarian laws that are so bullshits regarding emergency lights...
Thank you! I don't think that the Czech law is bullshit. I'm already very happy that they've legalized red lights. My biggest criticism is that they've limited it to emergency services. I'm just saying they could open it up to everyone. But the Czechs have bullshit laws. For example that they require battenburgs on EMS vehicles or the newest bullshit proposal that EMS vehicles should only use green and yellow colors in the future. I'd be very interested to know more about the Hungarian law. Can you explain that a little?
Yes, here are some examples:
-In Hungary, the emergency light can only be blue or blue-red, legally white light cant be used (not even a wig-wag)
- As for the design, according to a law, only red reflective stickers can be placed on the back of vehicles (that's why you only see a red sticker on the back of the new ambulances, which is very ugly )
However, its interesting that the fire department still uses yellow reflective stickers on its new vehicles...
@@Code3Bp I think it's the same in the Czech Republic. Emergency services have the option to choose between blue and red-blue. White is very rarely used so I think it isn't legal. Although white is a great warning color too. I still believe that Hungary and Czechia are way better off than many other countries like Germany that just allow blue lights.
It is non-emergency transport ambulace, so our law doesn't allow the red/blue combination. It is "reserved" and mandatory for priority emergency services (police, EMS, professional firefighters). They must also differ in colour - a non-emergency ambulance cannot be yellow.
@@pavel_tuzar is it really mandatory? As far as I know IZS have the choice of using just blue or red-blue. Thanks for the other confirmation :)