Emergency Avant-garde
Life-saving Land Rover Discovery Joins Red Cross Emergency Fleet
Aunique lifesaving Land Rover Discovery has just entered active service with the Red Cross emergency response fleet. The bespoke Discovery will provide eyes in the sky with a special drone and go-anywhere wheels on the ground, as an emergency mobile command centre with the Austrian Red Cross disaster response teams.
The result of an 18-month collaboration between Land Rover Special Vehicle Operations and the Austrian Red Cross, the specially designed and engineered Discovery has the latest communications equipment, including an advanced eight-rotor drone fitted with a longrange thermal imaging camera capable of spotting a person from 440m and identifying a vehicle at almost 1km. Objects found can also be tracked using the drone simply by tapping on the computer touchscreens video feed and obtaining precise co-ordinates – crucial when directing rescue efforts.
Designed as a mobile nerve centre from which rescue operations for disaster emergencies can be directed, bespoke features include four radio antennae, 360-degree lighting and a unique integrated carbon fibre loadspace Command Centre, enabling Red Cross operatives to co-ordinate emergency responses as soon as they reach the
scene of an emergency, day or night.
Based on a 258PS 3.0-litre TD6 Land Rover Discovery, emergency crews are enabled to reach remote disaster zones quickly in all conditions, then provide instant updates for improved response times and co-ordinated emergency planning.
Michael van der Sande, Managing Director of Jaguar Land Rover Special Operations, said: “Since we started collaborating in 1954, our aim has been to help the Red Cross improve its disaster response and ultimately to help save lives. Over the past 18 months our engineers have worked closely with the Austrian Red Cross, deploying Land Rover’s technology and talent to create a unique solution to their requirements for the region."
Dr Jemilah Mahmood, IFRC Under Secretary General for Partnerships said: “We are grateful for Land Rover’s generous support over the past six decades. The Discovery Emergency Response Vehicle is yet another result of our strong global partnership that brings together the best expertise of the Red Cross and Land Rover in one unique vehicle, which will make a difference in rescue operations in the harshest conditions.
Land Rover’s close relationship with the International Federation of Red Cross and
Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) began, with the donation of a vehicle to be used as a mobile dispensary in the deserts of Dubai in 1954. Since then, Land Rover has donated more than 120 vehicles to the IFRC, helping the organisation improve the lives of vulnerable communities across the globe.
The Red Cross has been working with Land Rover for over 60 years to support people in crisis throughout the world. Since 2013 the partnership has raised more than US $12.8 million for people in need, funding 18 humanitarian projects in 25 countries across four continents. Together they have reached almost one million people worldwide.