Horton Emergency Vehicles, a subsidiary of REV Group Inc., and a leader in ambulance safety, announces the launch of Horton Occupant Protection System™ (HOPS) featuring MBrace™, the first of its kind protection for first responders.  MBrace is a patent-pending advanced airbag safety system designed specifically to protect emergency care providers inside the patient compartment during frontal impacts, in addition to ambulance rollovers. Horton is the first and only brand in the ambulance industry to offer MBrace.  All Horton vehicle orders placed on or after April 1, 2023, will include the MBrace system as standard equipment. 

Independent data indicates that nearly 80% of accidents with ambulances that resulted in fatalities and serious injuries were frontal impacts*. MBrace was developed to provide more protection against head and neck injuries during frontal impact collisions, in addition to ambulance rollovers.  MBrace integrates an airbag into an innovative multi-point restraint that both protects emergency care providers while allowing them the mobility and freedom to work. Designed and engineered by IMMI and tested extensively with Horton ambulances at the Center for Advanced Product Evaluation (CAPE), MBrace takes EMS protection to a new level.

“Pioneering safety is in Horton’s DNA, and our partnerships with industry leaders, such as IMMI, have enabled us to keep advancing the level of safety that is available to emergency care providers”, stated Mike Albers, Vice President and General Manager for Horton Emergency Vehicles. “We are excited to offer MBrace as standard equipment. Improving the safety of our ambulances is one of our highest priorities.”

Customers who already have a Horton ambulance on order can work with their Horton dealer to add MBrace to their order, depending on how far along it is in the design process.  In addition, MBrace will be available for Horton remounts that are performed at the REV Remount Center in Grove City, OH. 

“The launch of MBrace is the culmination of years of research and development with partners such as Horton, who share our goal of raising the bar on safety through innovation,” said Larry Gray, CEO of IMMI.  

The MBrace system will be on display in the Horton Emergency Vehicles booth #4920 and the IMMI booth #4632 at FDIC International in Indianapolis, Indiana from April 27 – 29, 2023.  Find out more information about MBrace at www.hortonambulance.com.

*Source:  NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System 1991-2000; Green J. et al, “Reducing Vehicle Crash-Related EMS Worker Injuries Through Improvements in Restraint Systems”, World Congress on Safety & Health at Work. 9/05.

An 18-year-old Lake Chelan area man who authorities say started a fire that injured two Chelan County Sheriff's Office deputies has been sentenced to more than six years in prison. Deputies William Tuengel and Cyrus Bowthorpe suffered concussions last July after a livestock stable exploded while they were attempting to arrest Connor Leo Strange, according to Chelan County Superior Court documents.
- PUB DATE: 3/16/2023 12:52:00 PM - SOURCE: Wenatchee World - Metered Site

One person is dead and another person was injured Thursday morning in crash on I-5 near SeaTac. Puget Sound Fire crews responded to a report of a single car rollover crash before 4 a.m. in the southbound lanes of I-5, just south of South 200th Street. When firefighters arrived, they found a car with significant damage.
- PUB DATE: 3/16/2023 11:21:09 AM - SOURCE: KCPQ-TV FOX 13 Seattle

Sarah Cassi
The Express-Times
(TNS)

Shocking video of a crash last month on Interstate 80 in Warren County shows what happens when drivers fail to “Move Over” for emergency responders.

New Jersey State Police, Allamuchy-Green First Aid Squad and the Allamuchy Fire Department responded to a crash the night of Feb. 23 on I-80 at mile 17.6 in Allamuchy Township, Warren County.

The left and center lanes were closed with flares and New Jersey State Police vehicles as emergency crews worked, but a tow truck towing a box truck traveled into the scene, crashing into three NJSP vehicles, an ambulance and a firetruck.

The responding troopers were outside of the three vehicles that were struck and were unhurt, but an EMT inside the Allamuchy-Green First Aid Squad ambulance reported a minor injury, state police previously said.

The video above shows the shocking crash and aftermath, with footage from a NJSP vehicle and a body cameras worn by a responding trooper.

A trooper who was directing traffic with a flashlight and his hand is seen running to the side of the highway as the tow truck comes barreling toward him and an NJSP SUV. The tow truck crashes into the first state police SUV and pushes it before crashing into the back of the recording NJSP vehicle.

The body camera footage shows the aftermath, including a crushed state police SUV.

State police Sgt. Philip Curry said the crash remains under investigation, and that the tow truck driver was a 53-year-old man from Carteret, New Jersey.

“We lucked out,” one person says in the crash footage, but New Jersey lawmakers behind the state’s “Move Over” law want police, fire, emergency medical services, road crew or tow truck drivers to have more than luck when they’re responding on area roads and highways.

Drivers are required to move over or slow down for stopped emergency vehicles on the side of the road.

Fines range between $100 and $500 for for failing to move over one lane or slow down. Drivers can get two motor vehicle points for a third violation.

In Pennsylvania, the Steer Clear law requires drivers to move over for all emergency responders, including PennDOT personnel and roadside assistance vehicles.

If a driver can’t safely change lanes, they must slow down to no more than 20 mph below the posted speed limit. In 2020 Pennsylvania increased the law’s penalties. Fines range from $500 for a first offense up to $2,000 for a third offense, and a violation would add two points to a person’s driving record. The changes mirror penalties for construction zone violations.

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Sarah Cassi may be reached at scassi@lehighvalleylive.com.

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