Ire and glue mbulances'
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Y style road tests Sc • Hand's troubled BedI F250 ambulance fleet led to convince crews of ir fety last weekend.
Cre s took some of the CFs, lie had modified wheelts, n a gruelling test run on ds anging from motorway fo est track to test the .en h of wire safety devices d with Loctite friction ent Th were not satisfied that e eels would not fall off, ha happened to a number Cs in past months, and op tewards were meeting nesday to discuss the obi m. One driver said: "The Scottish Ambulance Service is becoming a laughing stock. Who else goes around with bits of wire and glue on their wheels?"
A further suggestion about the cause of the mystery wheel fault has come from a National Engineering Laboratory report which questions the strength of the CF chassis.
In the meantime, 27 ambulances have joined the Scottish fleet on loan from English services. Ten from London Ambulance Service are based in Glasgow, five Fords from Sheffield are working in Angus and Perthshire, and 12 others have come from Manchester.
Seven of the London vehicles have failed to impress the crews anyway, as they are Bedford CF220s fitted with eight seats in minibus layout.
They are not convinced that they are any different from the CF250s in which they no longer have any confidence, nor do they consider minibuses a satisfactory alternative to emergency vehicles with stretchers.
The other London vehicles loaned are a Ford Transit, a BMC FG, and an Austin threelitre limousine conversion with a single stretcher.