Protecting Providers and Patients in the Warm Zone

As active shooter events increase, warm zones—and even hot zones—are arenas EMS providers are gradually becoming more used to the idea of operating in. But in order to operate effectively in such an environment, EMS providers need protection.

Protection doesn’t come much sturdier than the Lenco MedEvac LE. The Lenco MedEvac LE was designed to meet the combined requirements of SWAT and tactical EMS teams. The BearCat model can be used as an armored response and Rescue SWAT truck for dangerous call-outs, and is equipped to provide tactical EMS with a safe and effective environment to deal with trauma cases.

The San Leandro (CA) Police Department just received approval to purchase its own BearCat, and Lt. Randy Brandt, tactical operations commander, predicts it will get more use than expected.

“In San Leandro we had no ballistic protection at all, so we were borrowing vehicles all the time for when we needed a more tactical approach. But we’ve done a ton of training recently with embedded paramedics and law enforcement, and we realized for a major incident we’re going to run out of tactical vehicles, and even if you don’t the ones we have available are not built for dual purposes.”

Brandt says the new BearCat MedEvac, the first of its kind in northern California, is going to be a regional asset. San Leandro PD will care for the vehicle and provide policy, but other agencies can call it in as a secondary asset.

“It had all the ballistic capabilities of a traditional BearCat for protection,” Brandt explains, “and the exterior shell is very similar. But all the internal components are more task-oriented for the EMS integration—it has high-end task lighting for work stations, a little utility work station on the front driver’s side, oxygen tanks, IV bag hooks, dual mobile stretchers on either side of the vehicle.”

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