Ambulance and Equipment
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Glasgow Museums has a collection of almost 50 objects relating to the Ambulance Service in Scotland dating from the late 20th century. There is one vehicle in the collections with the associated accoutrements necessary for use. This is a 1986 Bedford CF2-5 Ambulance fitted with `Hi-Line’ bodywork by the largest specialist ambulance coachbuilders in the UK, N.Hanlon Ltd. The ambulance is powered by a two-litre petrol engine. The CF2-5 was the workhorse of the Scottish Ambulance Service for a number of years and this example is the last Beford multi-purpose ambulance to be operated by the SAS. It was sometimes driven by a lady called Margaret Kingdon who told us “As an ‘Ambulance man’ (nowadays she would be known as an ‘ambulance care assistant’) she was occasionally asked to drive this vehicle, which was used in and around Paisley between 1990 and 1994. Margaret explained, ‘With its blacked out windows, blue light and stripe along the side, it gave us a sense of pride – even though it was old fashioned compared to the emergency vehicles that were in use by the “frontline crews”’. This type of ambulance was gradually replaced by more modern versions and was therefore increasingly used for non-emergency work. The ambulance is accompanied by the equipment and supplies it would have carried during service, including portable oxygen canister, blankets, dressings and gurney.
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