Porsche is making a lot of noise this month with regard to the Cayenne. Earlier this week it was the introduction of the new limited edition Cayenne Transsyberia. Today, the latest news from Germany is the delivery of two emergency medical vehicles to the Stuttgart Fire Department. Concluding a European wide open bid, these specially equipped Cayennes were produced after Porsche was awarded the contract.
Delivered to the Deputy Mayor of Stuttgart by Thomas Edig, Porsche AG's Executive Board Member responsible for Human Resources and Welfare, these two Cayennes will be put into service immediately. Unlike a typical ambulance in the US, these Cayennes are first responders designed to treat patients at the site in advance of transport to the hospital or other emergency medical facilities. They are equipped with all the latest medical equipment and supplies and even include a 'rendezvous system', where emergency doctors are brought from a hospital to the accident site, to meet up with the ambulance crew.
Porsche Trainees Carry Out Innovative Special Assignment for Rescue Service
Stuttgart. The City of Stuttgart has taken delivery of two new Porsche Cayenne emergency medical vehicles for the municipal fire department's Emergency Medical Service. Today both vehicles, which have the radio identification names "Florian Stuttgart 5/82-1" and "5/82-2" were handed over in Zuffenhausen to Dr. Martin Schairer, Stuttgart's Deputy Mayor in charge of law, public safety and order, by Thomas Edig, Porsche AG's Executive Board Member responsible for Human Resources and Welfare.
Following a European call for tender, Stuttgart City awarded the contract for the two vehicles to Porsche AG. At the sports car manufacturer's Training Center, two serially-produced white Cayennes were converted according to the specifications of the Fire Service. The interiors had to be completely remodeled to accommodate the complex emergency medical equipment housed in the trunk and rear compartment. The Cayennes were also fitted out with voice radio and radio data transmission, blue light bars, sirens and GPS (Global Positioning System), which keeps operation headquarters informed of the vehicles' whereabouts. The medical equipment includes an electrocardiogram (ECG), a defibrillator (electric shock apparatus to treat heart fibrillation), respiration apparatus, emergency equipment for children and a comprehensive range of medicines.
"Working on such complex and challenging special orders as a part of our professional training reflects the skill and the broad spectrum of competence of our workforce. Projects of this kind naturally motivate the younger generation of Porsche employees even more strongly to do their absolute best", says Board Member Thomas Edig.
For the first time, innovative signals will be used to warn other road-users even earlier and more reliably that the emergency medics are on their way. The Cayennes' side indicators are equipped with blue lights, making the vehicles more noticeable to cross traffic. In addition, the acoustic signal of the sirens has now been changed to include 'hissing' tones, which ensure that the human ear still better can pick up the direction from which the vehicles are approaching, particularly in the urban environment. The idea behind this system is to clear the roads faster and cut the time needed to reach the accident scene. The Stuttgart Fire Service intends to run a scientific study on this pilot operation.
Using the so-called 'rendezvous system', emergency doctors are brought from a hospital to the accident site, where they meet up with the ambulance crew. The Porsche Cayenne fulfills important prerequisites for the Stuttgart Fire Service's operations: due to the hilly topography of Stuttgart, they require an all-terrain vehicle which is nevertheless nimble in urban traffic. It has to have a sufficiently large loading area and also provide optimum protection for driver and passenger. The Cayenne, which is driven by a powerful 213 kW (290 PS) six-cylinder engine with gasoline direct injection (cubic capacity: 3.6 liters), is serially equipped with Porsche Stability Management (PSM) which enhances its driving safety. The four-wheel drive gives superior handling and good traction under all road conditions. A high degree of passive safety in the passenger compartment is ensured by full-size airbags, two thorax side airbags, and two curtain airbags in the roof frame which cover all the side windows. As well as recognizing fron-tal/rear and lateral collisions, the sensors also anticipate the danger of rollovers and activate seat belt tighteners and curtain airbags in case of emergency.
The two Cayennes are not the first special assignment for the Porsche Training Center. The Stuttgart sports car manufacturer's next generation of professionals has already been able to gather extensive experience in the equipping of emergency service automobiles. Trainees have built various customized vehicles for the works firefighters and the health management team at the enterprise's locations in Zuffenhausen, Weissach and Leipzig, including emergency medical service vehicles for the works doctors. And the Moscow Fire Department can also now count a Cayenne rescue vehicle among its fleet - this too is a customized product from Zuffenhausen.
Nevertheless, Board Member Edig emphasized that projects of this kind can only be carried out in exceptional cases: "We do not plan to build up a business field in EMS vehicles at Porsche in future. But it is an especial honor for us to have been able to con-tribute to making emergency medical services in Stuttgart even faster and better."
The project "Emergency Medical Service Vehicle" involved a total of ten young Porsche trainees, both men and women, including prospective automotive mechatronics technicians, construction mechanics, electronics technicians and vehicle fitters. These were supported by two experienced master instructors and by experts from the Stuttgart Fire Service.
Deputy Mayor Dr. Martin Schairer praised the achievements of the trainees: "It was an excellent idea to give young people the opportunity to participate actively in preparing these important - in fact, life-saving - vehicles for the Stuttgart Emergency Medical Service. The EMS vehicles are an essential link in the regional capital's emergency rescue chain."
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Why didn’t I find this blog earlier. I’m a big fan of Porsche (especially the Cayenne), though I don’t have one…yet. These guys are probably the luckiest firefighters in the world.