Serco Trailer Used To Save Lives As Mobile Blood Bank

A Serco-built trailer has been converted into a mobile blood donation centre for use outdoors at a variety of locations including big events, shopping centres and in the community.

The trailer was built with window apertures and interior partitions for Emergency Vehicle Conversion (EVC), the company which did all the conversion essentials and extras to make it user-friendly for their client, the South African National Blood Service (SANBS).

The vehicle has already been used at a variety of events and was due to be at the 2020 Rand Show in Johannesburg and on the Durban beachfront during the Easter holiday period but the COVID-19 lockdown scuppered those plans.

EVC, based in Boksburg in Gauteng, converts vehicles to specification for use as ambulances, emergency services vehicles, mobile clinics, camper vans, and mobile offices, among others.

EVC Sales Manager Jonathan Greenhill says he was approached by SANBS who were looking for a mobile unit fitted out and equipped to ensure donors enjoy and feel comfortable using the facility – similar to the good experience standards experienced at the blood services’ fixed site centres.

“We called in Serco – they had been close neighbours of ours in Boksburg before they moved to their new premises – and decided on the insulated trailer best suited for our purposes.

“Working with the basic vehicle they built for us, we added the flooring, self-contained solar-powered electrical system, air-conditioning, plumbing, furniture, and other equipment. The unit is also wheelchair-friendly and has facilities for the disabled,’ said Greenhill.

It is the first time EVC has done business with Serco and Greenhill said they were pleased with the final product and there was a possibility of more business in the pipeline for the company.