Ambulance staff on the Isle of Wight have raised concerns about the use of Fiat Ducato vehicles, prompting the Isle of Wight Ambulance Service to confirm it will be ordering 5 new Ford Transit ambulances – and its first-ever electric ambulances.
Paramedics and emergency care assistants have reported that the Fiat models – first introduced to the Island in 2020 – are uncomfortable and poorly suited to the demands of emergency care, described as ‘bargain basement’. Issues raised include back pain caused by the seating position, shins hitting the dashboard and feet getting stuck between the pedals, but staff are ‘reluctant’ to speak up over fear of backlash.
It is claimed that at least 8 staff members have been unable to drive the Fiats due to these ergonomic problems.
Concerns have also been raised about mechanical reliability, with multiple staff reporting breakdowns, gearbox and clutch faults, electrical issues and structural defects such as rear door stress fractures. One Fiat ambulance reportedly broke down during its very first emergency call.
By contrast, several of the older Mercedes Sprinter ambulances still in use have clocked up more than 350,000 miles with minimal issues.
Fears had been raised with Island Echo that the Isle of Wight Ambulance Service was about to order 6 new Fiats, despite all of the issues. This would also see the fleet reduced from 16 to 14 vehicles.
The Isle of Wight Ambulance Service has now confirmed a shift in direction.
A spokesperson has told Island Echo:
“We take the safety of our staff and patients very seriously and are aware of concerns previously raised by a small number of staff around the use of Fiat vehicles within our fleet. Fiat ambulances were part of a national ambulance vehicle framework, and a large number of these vehicles are still successfully in use across the country.
“Additional vehicle options have subsequently been added onto the national framework and we are in the process of placing an order for five Ford ambulances as part of our planned replacement programme.
“Ensuring our fleet can respond to the needs of our communities in a sustainable, efficient, and cost-effective way is important. Aside from these new Ford vehicles, we are also in the process of procuring electric ambulances in addition to the existing fleet so we can trial the use of zero-emission technology and reduce our impact on the environment. We are working closely with our partners to ensure that as a service we continue to meet operational demand and support those who need us.
“We encourage any colleagues with concerns to continue raising these with us directly so we can address them.”
The service recently purchased a new major incident vehicle based on a MAN chassis.
Steer clear of Fiat – not known as (Fix it again Tony)
for nothing.
Mercedes are the best by far.
Fords are worse! They have wet belt engines,not sure about the fiats,but fords are terrible!
Very true, Numpty’s drive Fords.
Absolutely correct, and add to that horrific issues relating to fuel injectors, which ford also know about.
Do the Japanese build ambulances
Toyota do for use in Japan.
Very reliable vehicles