New American Red Cross Vehicle

The American Red Cross Alabama Region is part of a national test of the next generation of the organization’s emergency response vehicle, with the new vehicle prototype in the Mobile area March 6 through 11, 2013.  

Studio10 got a look at the new vehicle Thursday morning as they made a stop here at the Fox10 station!

The Alabama Gulf Coast Chapter is one of two dozen Red Cross chapters across the country in the testing and assessment program for the new vehicles.

Tours of the prototype vehicle will be available to the media, volunteers, board members, and other supporters and partners on Friday, March 8, 2013 from 10:00am to 3:00pm at the Red Cross office located at 35 North Sage Avenue in midtown Mobile.

The prototypes are the result of a five-year process engaging Red Cross volunteers, staff, partners and the design community to create a vehicle that is more cost efficient and provides a better experience for both Red Crossers and the people we help. Currently, the Red Cross has more than 320 emergency response vehicles in 49 states that are used after disasters like home fires, tornadoes and floods to serve meals, snacks and beverages to families and distribute relief supplies.

The Red Cross has a long history of providing help and comfort from mobile vehicles. In 1898, Clara Barton used a wagon as an ambulance for her work on the battlefield. During World War II, the Red Cross used clubmobiles to support U.S. servicemen.  In 1984, the Red Cross began to standardize the organization's disaster response vehicles around an ambulance design. Prior to the 1984 initiative, the Red Cross used converted bread trucks, station wagons and pickup trucks to deliver meals and snacks after disasters. The prototypes that are being tested today represent the next generation of these historic response vehicles.  

About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission.

For more information, please visit redcross.org or join our blog at http://blog.redcross.org .