By Our Staff Reporter
New Tehri, 2 Sep: For the first time in the history of Uttarakhand, a 7.5 meters long Ambulance Boat has been handed over with ‘Certificate of Fitness’ to operate in the Tehri Dam Reservoir. The Hans Cultural Centre Ambulance Boat is equipped with Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus (SCUBA) diving gadgets, to meet the special rescue requirements of hypothermia affected patients.
The Ambulance Boat, which has been under extensive trials over months, has proved its worth during a disaster mock drill conducted by CISF, SDRF, etc., recently in Tehri Dam Reservoir, according to Dehradun office staff of The Hans Cultural Centre.
With the award of ‘Certificate of Fitness’ (CoF), the Ambulance Boat is now ready to be registered with the District Authority to ply in Tehri Dam Reservoir, with an objective to serve patients who reside in far flung areas of the lake, so that they get emergency medical treatment by the fastest water transportation mode, equipped with life saving devices, stated Vipul Dhasmana, Boat Surveyor, Zila Panchayat, Tehri Garhwal.
“I tested the Fiber Glass Ambulance Boat today to grant CoF after extensive tests and trials. It touches 9 knots speed powered with two 60 HP four stroke Out Board Motors. Boat is provided with half the length plywood cabin and half the length canopy seating arrangement. The plywood cabin has two berths for seating cum stretchers for patients. The medical equipment such as oxygen cylinder, etc., are placed inside the cabin. There is a storage space beneath the two berths which houses lifesaving and firefighting appliances,” affirmed Dhasmana, a veteran Indian Navy’s Naval Architect and Marine Surveyor.
