2016 Edward Bennett Rosa Award

The NIST team is recognized for significant improvements to ambulance designs that will reduce injuries and save lives. The team first identified the poor design of the patient compartments in current ambulances as a major source of safety problems. The team then applied systems engineering principles to develop several safer design recommendations that were validated using advanced modeling and simulation techniques. These design recommendations are included in two standards, a US government purchase specification, and a guidebook. Manufacturers and state Emergency Medical Service (EMS) communities are now applying these standards and the guidebook to design safer and more efficient ambulances.