New Ambulance Bus (AMBUS) Presented to City of Corpus Christi
May 26, 2021
After Hurricane Harvey, the Corpus Christi Fire Department discussed the lack of a mass casualty response unit with the Coastal Bend Advisory Committee (CBRAC). The state of Texas has 15 AMBUS (Ambulance Bus) units in various cities. The regular costs for this type of vehicle and equipment is more than $1 million dollars but will be no cost to the City except for maintenance and repairs.
An AMBUS is a special EMS (Emergency Medical Service) unit that can transport or care for up to 24 patients at once, at least ten times as many patients as standard ambulance. An AMBUS is equipped like an ambulance, with patient ventilators, wireless vital signs monitoring, suction devices and other life-saving equipment.
The AMBUS can care and transport 21 stretchered patients at one time and will take the place of ten regular sized ambulances.
The Corpus Christi Fire Department’s Emergency Medical Task Force Program (EMTF) will utilize the AMBUS in the event of mass casualty incidents throughout the Coastal Bend.
The City of Corpus Christi adopted a tax rate that will raise more taxes for maintenance and operations than last year's tax rate. The tax rate will effectively be raised by 4.69 percent and will raise taxes for maintenance and operations on a $100,000 home by approximately $16.87.
