This rescue vehicle is optimized for different kinds of disaster scenarios on locations who’s hard to reach by traditional vehicles. When developing this vehicle the focus have been on train crashes.

This modular vehicle have the possibility to drive on the railway tracks to ease the rescue operation. It have 3 different stages where it can act like a bus to transport personnel, be a truck to transport equipment or act like an ambulance.

One of the modules can also be dropped of at the crash site and expanded in to a big temporary hospital to treat victims on site.

This project went under the name “train crashes” As an start-up of the project we went to a training camp where firefighters and paramedics are educated how to act during a train crash operation. We got to learn all the critical steps in the rescue operation and also got the opportunity to try it our selfs. After some study visits at the fire-station and the ambulance station I finally decided to focus on the rescue vehicle that they are using today. This vehicle is also used in other disaster scenarios on sites who is hard to reach by traditional vehicles. Therefore is this all terrain vehicle very important in these rescue operations to even be able to get to the site. Even though this vehicle is the key to save as many lifes as possible isn’t it undeveloped for this important task.

When I was looking closer to this problem and starting to analyze the use of the current rescue vehicle I discovered that it is a partly rebuilded old band wagons called “Hägglunds BV206” more known as “snow tank”. Today it is only the fire fighters who have access to these vehicles and they have to provide both the paramedics and the rest of the rescue personnel. It means that the whole rescue team have to relay on the fire brigade.

Today the snow tank have to act both as a bus to transport all the personnel to the crash site. It also have to act like a truck to transport all the equipment needed for the rescue operation. This task is today made in two steps, the first one is to load all the equipment to a truck, who will drive as close as possible to the crash site. Next step is to lift off all equipment from the truck into the snow tank. This task is very time consuming, logical hard and exhausting for the crew.

The last procedure is to transport victims from the crash site and the vehicle have to act like an ambulance and it can maximum take 2 victims at the time. Today the vehicle have to drive next to the railway through the forest. This ride is very uncomfortable and bumpy which is bad for the injured person and it also takes a lot of time.

As an introduction to the project we got a lecture by Rebecca Forsberg who have a PhD in train crashes and informed us about the increasing problem with derailing trains and old worn railway systems. Rebecca was also one of our tutors during the whole project.

During the initial research we went to MSB Revinge a training camp for firefighters and paramedics. Here we got a good under standing for the whole rescue procedure and how the different professions are working together during this kind of scenarios. We also had the opportunity to try out the different steps in the rescue procedure. Like rescue victims from a train in a safe way, how to put them on a stretcher and how to carry them properly.

I also made study visits at the fire station and the ambulance station to talk to the most experienced persons and to ask them questions regarding the problems in the rescue procedure. I got a lot of helpful input and answers. The fire chief Peters Iseklint said that “We could save a lot of time if it was easier to transport people and equipment to the crash site‘‘ And the paramedic Peter Johansson said that the biggest problem in a train crash is “HEAT! To keep the victims warm is really important. Electricity would help a lot. And of course getting to the site is a BIG problem !“

For my final design of the optimized rescue vehicle I decided to brand it to Rosenbauer who partly makes firetrucks. Some of these trucks are build on MAN chassis. That’s why they could be a good distributor for this new rescue vehicle. My idea is to keep almost the same old drive train from the Hägglunds BV206 band wagon and just change the top part of the vehicle to optimize it for the different stages in the rescue operation.

The new rescue vehicle R-01 is able to drive directly on the railway tracks, who makes the whole rescue operation very smooth. The personnel will get to the crash site quickly so they could start to analyze the situation. Mean while the rescue vehicle is driving back to pull up the standardized modules with the equipment needed for the rescue operation, and drop it of at the crash site. In the next step the vehicle can pick up an ambulance module who can transport and treat victims in a safe way. This hospital module can also be dropped off at the crash site and be extended to a big temporary hospital on site.

The improvements:
- Much faster access to the crash site
- Standardized module system
- Faster transportation of equipment
- Number of passengers, before: 12 after: 18
- Safe transportation of victims, before: 2 after: 8
- A temporary heated hospital for 12 victims

Everything packed into one vehicle who ease the whole rescue procedure and saves a lot of time which is the most important thing to save as many lives as possible.