Press Room
December 5, 2006
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Greg Klopfenstein,
General Manager,
Rural/Metro Ambulance
Phone: 503-315-2260 ext 116
Rural/Metro® Installs On-Board Ambulance
Cameras to Promote Driving Safety
SALEM-OR:
Rural/Metro® Ambulance is always looking for ways to increase safety within the Salem community. In light of this goal, Rural/Metro is installing DriveCam II exception-based video event recorders into all of their emergency vehicles.
The DriveCam II is a palm-sized recorder mounted behind the rearview mirror on the vehicle’s windshield. This device constantly videotapes sights and sounds inside and outside of the vehicle, and when forces such as hard breaking, swerving, or a collision occur, the camera is triggered to record. When such a force occurs, the camera goes back and saves the 10 seconds prior to the event, as well as the 10 seconds afterward.
This saved footage is downloaded directly to the driver’s inbox, and is used to assess the driver’s actions. With the installation of the DriveCam II into Rural/Metro Ambulances, drivers will be held to the highest standard of safety, allowing supervisors and managers to effectively coach their drivers according to the safe driving policies of Rural/Metro.
Says Greg Klopfenstein, Salem General Manager, “Our EMT’s and Paramedics are well-trained and we recognized they have very important and often dangerous jobs. We feel the DriveCam is an excellent reminder that safe driving is essential.”
On July 1, 2005, Rural/Metro™ Ambulance began offering medical transportation services to Salem in a unique public-private partnership with the City of Salem Fire Department. Rapid paramedic response with secure and safe ambulance transport is the number one priority of this partnership.
Rural/Metro™ Ambulance and Salem Firefighter/Paramedics respond to medical emergency calls in our community. Rural/Metro responds from four 24-hour crew quarters, including West Salem, and also deploys two 12-hour ambulances for use during periods of high call demand. The City of Salem will also have available four ambulances that can respond, if needed, during periods of high call volume.
Rural/Metro employs 58 personnel, including EMT’s and Paramedics. Rural/Metro Ambulance also provides Basic Life Support (BLS) ambulance transportation and event standby services.
Rural/Metro Corporation Nasdaq RURL is a publicly traded company. For the fiscal year ended June 30, 2005, net revenue increased 7.6% to $531.1 million, compared to $493.8 million for fiscal 2004. Revenue growth for the quarter and fiscal year primarily reflects a growing demand for medical transportation and subscription fire protection services, as well as increasing rates in both the medical transportation and fire protection businesses.