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Backgrounder
Bison Ambulance
BG–04.040 - November 26, 2004
Armoured vehicles are an integral part of Army operations, providing protection and transport through tough terrain and under varied conditions. In keeping with this important role, in November 1998, the Wheeled Light Armoured Vehicle Life Extension (WLAV LE) Project was approved with two components, the Bison Re-role Program and the Armoured Vehicle General Purpose Re-role Program.
The Bison, originally manufactured by General Motors Diesel Division in London, Ontario, is an eight-wheel drive light armoured vehicle providing excellent mobility and protection for occupants over all types of terrain. The Bison is air transportable, allowing for rapid deployment in support of Canadian Forces (CF) Operations. The Bison has seen service on CF deployments in Somalia, the former Yugoslavia, Kosovo, Haiti, Eritrea, and Afghanistan.
The Bison entered service in 1990 for use in reserve force training. It has since been adapted to carry out a multitude of roles, such as: command post vehicle; mortar carrier vehicle ; mobile recovery or maintenance repair team vehicle, an d ambulance and electronic warfare variants . There are currently 199 Bison in service.
The mandate of the overarching WLAV LE project is to extend the life and reconfigure the in-service Bison and A rmoured Vehicle General Purpose fleets into command and support variants . The project's total cost is $230.8 million. The $5.8 million contract for Bison Ambulances was awarded to DEW Engineering and Development Limited in January 2003. The production of the first variant commenced at the DEW plant in Miramichi, New Brunswick in January 2004. With the acceptance of the first Bison ambulance in November 2004, the remaining vehicles will be delivered over the next two years.
The re-roled Bison ambulance incorporates extensive upgrades to improve the vehicle's power, increased crew protection and comfort, and additional medical equipment and features. The Bison ambulance treatment and evacuation capability is comparable to civilian ambulances, carrying essential medical equipment such as defibulator and oxygen systems. The Bison ambulance's ability to comfortably transport up to four patients on stretchers over rough terrain while allowing medical personal to render life saving aid clearly highlights the benefit of this vehicle. The refurbished Bison ambulance meets the goal of Army Transformation, which calls for the change to a medium-weight, rapidly deployable and knowledge-based Army. It has the power and speed to move with the Army's fast, wheeled Light Armoured Vehicle fleets in order to support units on operations .
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