AMBUS

Cedar Hill Fire Department was recently awarded an Ambulance Bus “AMBUS” by the North Central Texas Trauma Regional Advisory Council “NTTRAC”. It is designed, equipped, and will be manned to accommodate up to 18 patients on stretchers and 5 more in wheelchairs.

Mission
The AmBus is part of a mission of the Texas Department of State Health Services to create capabilities across the Lone Star State for providing maximum 1st response services during mass-casually incidents, rapid hospital evacuation, and on-site medical rehab for responders.
To accomplish this, DSHS created a network of regionally-based teams. This would place ambulance buses across the state, situated eventually in equal-distance areas so that 1st responders will be available whenever needed.
Trauma Regions
There are 8 trauma regions in Texas.  North Central Texas Trauma Regional Advisory Council “NTTRAC” covers the region that includes Cedar Hill, which runs from Abilene to Dallas and in the 19 counties surrounding that corridor. This area contains more than 27% of the Texas population. There are 4 AmBus’ in North Texas, Cedar Hill, Frisco, Sherman, and Fort Worth

Uses
The AmBus is a state, regional, and a local resource that can be used in natural disasters such as tornadoes or flooding that we have experienced in our neighboring cities of Desoto and Lancaster. It may also be deployed to assist hurricane victims along the coast. It most recently was deployed to the fertilizer plant explosion and disaster in West, TX.

West, TX Deployment

3 Emergency Service Buses parked side by side, with their emergency lights flashing.