VIDEO/PHOTOS: From Hurricane Beryl to the wildfires in the Panhandle, Texas has experienced the impact of natural disasters in 2024. During large-scale incidents in the Big Country and beyond, the Abilene Fire Department has the right vehicle for the job. An ambulance bus known as an Ambus has been stationed at Station 4 since 2021. The Ambus is 43 feet long and 11 feet high, and it can accommodate 20 to 27 people. Aaron Maxwell, AFD EMS Coordinator, said the bus is particularly useful in rural areas like Abilene.
“There’s a limited number of ambulances here in Abilene as well as in other counties, and then the other jurisdictions around here are all small and may only have one ambulance available,” Maxwell said. The Abilene Ambus service operates alone within a 100-mile radius, with the next closest vehicle located in Fort Worth, Lubbock, or El Paso.