Road operations

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Road operations

When time saves lives, we rely on our formidable fleet of rapid response road rescue vehicles to arrive at emergency scenes in record time, so that our paramedics can do what they do best: save lives.

What do our road operations offer?

In any medical emergency, those first 60 minutes – known as the ‘golden hour’– are critical. They provide
a small window of opportunity that can determine the patient’s outcome. The golden hour is our hour –
it’s when we bring together the best road operations and personnel possible, to ensure that we reach
patients in the shortest possible time.

Our fleet of over 200 rapid response vehicles and road ambulances are strategically deployed
throughout SA’s nine provinces. Our custom designed integrated call taking (ICT) and integrated dispatch
system (IDS) technologies, coordinated through our EOC, enable us to dispatch the right team to any
emergency in the shortest possible time.

Safety and reliability

We adhere to the highest vehicle safety
standards. We ensure that all our vehicles are
well maintained and refitted with the latest
technological enhancements.
This not only ensures improved reliability,
performance, and availability, but also that
our paramedic teams on the road are behind
the wheels of safe vehicles.

Support and community

We offer our specialised extrication and
rescue services free to our communities. We
deploy two highly visible rescue vehicles —
one in Gauteng and one in KwaZulu-Natal —
to support municipal and other emergency
services, secure accident scenes, protect
emergency personnel as they work, and
assist with vehicle extrication, firefighting,
and high angle and steep slope rescue.

Medical Scheme EMS Medical Scheme EMS

Rapid response and road ambulance service

Our custom designed integrated call taking (ICT) and integrated dispatch system (IDS) technologies, coordinated through our EOC, enable us to dispatch the right team to any emergency in the shortest possible time.

All our emergency vehicles are equipped with GPS and use satellite tracking to assist our paramedics to pinpoint the scene of an emergency.

To provide emergency assistance faster than ever before, we’ve developed a Netcare 911 emergency mobile app.

Mobile ICU
ambulance service

Our dedicated mobile ICU ambulances – operating in Gauteng and the Western Cape — have an intensive care environment for the transfer of critically ill, injured or high risk babies, children and adult patients between medical facilities, in cases where specialised or ongoing treatment is needed following stabilisation after an emergency.

Our vehicles have been customised to serve as highly specialised mobile units. They have the space paramedics need to provide advanced life support (ALS) to their patients – the same level of care they would receive in a hospital.

Each ICU ambulance incorporates the following:

  • Resuscitation, intubation and multiparameter vital signs monitoring equipment

  • Adult and paediatric ventilators

  • Infusion pumps and balloon pumps

  • An extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) machine for heart and respiratory support

  • A 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) to transmit recordings to doctors at the receiving hospital

Why choose Netcare 911 road operations?

Our road rescue units

Our specialised extrication and rescue vehicles are equipped with the necessary equipment so that our personnel, who all have appropriate medical and fire-fighting qualifications, can perform light and heavy motor vehicle extrication, high angle and steep slope rescue, basic firefighting, and aquatic and confined space extrication.

  • Rescue 1

    Serves communities in Gauteng.

  • Rescue 2

    Serves communities in Durban.

Our rescue vehicles are customised with excellent all round terrain
capabilities, and have the following equipment:

  • An electric generator for roof mounted floodlights

  • Fire extinguishers, traffic cones, ladder, ropes

  • Hydraulic rescue tools (jaws of life)

  • Climbing harnesses and rescue basket

  • Pneumatic lifting bags, breathing apparatus, reciprocating saw

  • Small tools and a stabilisation equipment

  • Medical equipment

car rescue car rescue

Prompt emergency intervention for newborn baby

Born at home, baby Luke Pieterse struggled to breathe due to congenital pneumonia. The midwife called Netcare 911, and an ICU equipped ambulance was dispatched in less than a minute. Our paramedics placed baby Luke on advanced neonatal ventilation and stabilised him almost immediately before transporting him to a neonatal ICU for further care. After a short stay, baby Luke was discharged, in time to spend Christmas with his thankful parents.

Mac Netcare

Interested in a career
at Netcare 911?

Netcare 911 follows a transparent recruitment process to attract the best people. We are a values driven organisation that focuses on service leadership, staff engagement and developing our people. Our company culture is based on high performance and an empowering approach which encourages innovation and recognises employee achievements.

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