Here at Braun Industries, we're always looking for ways to make our "Built for Life" emergency vehicles safer for the patients and crew they carry. This has meant significant changes in the interior designs of ambulances over the years. Today, we are seeing a strong movement towards convenience and ergonomics and have transitioned our designs to meet those needs and proactively prepare for the implementation of the new NFPA 1917 standards.

In many of today's ambulances, you will see a traditional squad bench, a CPR seat, and a Captain's chair. At Braun, we recommend "fast-forwarding" your interior design into the future by featuring all Captain's chairs. This type of chair should include 5 or 6-point extended reach safety belts and forward-facing capabilities. Why? The best way to keep our paramedics safe during transport and patient treatment is to keep them seated. The Captain's chairs combined with thoughtful cabinet placement and equipment storage will keep everything within reach, so there is less movement throughout the module.

By definition, ergonomics means "The study of efficiency in working environments." Therefore, this is also something very important to us. In emergency medicine, time is of the essence. Being efficient in your ambulance work environment can mean the difference between life and death. Here are some of the key things we've focused on when looking at the ergonomics of our emergency vehicles.

• Putting heavy items closer to waist level
• Making it easier to access items that have traditionally been difficult to access
• Simplifying equipment and supply storage so you can get to things fast

By doing this, we can work to eliminate possible injuries from moving about the module and reduce the stress put on your body from twisting and turning to reach things.

With the introduction of the new NFPA 1917 standards, consumers will soon see dramatic changes in the way ambulances are built; all of these aimed at making emergency vehicles safer for the patients and crew they carry. At Braun, our approach has been to get ahead of NFPA 1917, by implementing many of the new standards on our emergency vehicles currently in production and thinking outside-the-box to design and build the best ambulances out there.

We look forward to educating you more on NFPA 1917 in the coming months. As it currently stands, the appeals closing date is Jun 27, 2012. The standards will go into effect on all newly placed orders starting January 1, 2013. If you are considering purchasing a new ambulance, we strongly recommend you touch base with your local dealer as soon as possible and work to get your order placed before the January 1st deadline.

If you'd like to know more about Braun's innovative seating options and interior designs, please contact us today. We're more than happy to answer your questions and enlighten you on some of the cool things our customers are doing. Post a comment below, or email us at Social@BraunAmbulances.com