A new ambulance purpose-built for the Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant arrived Feb. 1.

“It’s a Horton EV-400 on a Ford 450 diesel Super Duty chassis,” said Michael Feddes, medical services coordinator, Battelle Memorial Institute. “As we are gearing up for operations, we will use it to provide quick response to project team members, should the need arise.”

That need will most likely be response to medical issues such as slips, trips and falls, chest pain or reactions to bites from insects, said Marek Greer, medical director, Bechtel Parsons Blue Grass (BPBG). While the possibility of worker exposure to chemical agent will be highly unlikely, the new emergency response vehicle will be stocked with antidote kits, and the paramedics who operate it will be thoroughly trained in their use.

The ambulance is also equipped with assistive systems, Feddes said. When the rear doors are opened, the entire box lowers five inches to make patient loading easier. Should medics need to veer off paved roads, four-wheel drive will help them navigate through mud and wet footing, while an automatic tire-chain system will give them pull in snow and ice.

“Before the vehicle can be put into service it will need to be outfitted with a communications system and stocked with supplies, medicine and gear,” said Russell Ott, warehouse supervisor, BPBG. “Then the Kentucky Bureau of Emergency Management Services will inspect and license it for operation.”

Ott is hosting the ambulance in an off-site project warehouse until the on-site Medical Facility is completed. For Greer and Feddes, that time cannot come soon enough.

“We’re excited,” said Greer. “It is an essential piece of equipment that will help us respond to our fellow project team members if there is a need. And it looks great.”