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MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The Memphis Fire Department has acquired a kit that can convert a school bus into a vehicle that safely transports up to a dozen victims of mass casualty incidents to local medical facilities.

The department purchased the AmbuBus kit in cooperation with the Memphis/Shelby County Metropolitan Medical Response System. The move was made in anticipation of potential disasters — including earthquakes, as the city is located on the New Madrid fault line.

The AmbuBus kit, which is manufactured by First Line Technology, can carry supplies and equipment related to mass medical surge and transportation that may be required during natural and man-made disasters. The permanently installed Memphis AmbuBus will hold up to 12 non-ambulatory or stretcher-bound patients from the special-needs community, including those who use wheelchairs and the elderly.

"An earthquake is a no-notice event, and the permanently installed AmbuBus kit is a quick tool for mass evacuation and care," First Line Technology President Amit Kapoor said, noting that the Memphis Fire Department "realizes that unlike a costly ambulance bus, the AmbuBus is reconfigurable in the field and transferable in case of vehicle failure.”

The kit can be used on school buses as well as other mass-transit vehicles. It is also available in on-demand, temporary configurations. For more information, go here.

SBF reported on Mississippi school districts receiving AmbuBus kits in an article last year.