Hollywood, California, to Hollywood, Florida, is a long way to travel for a medical visit, but a team of doctors and EMTs drove the distance anyway via a classic Cadillac ambulance. More than 3,000 miles later, the group earned a page in the Guinness World Records book.
Before the record-breaking “longest journey by ambulance” even began, the trusted steed already held a notable distinction. According to WSVN, the 1972 Miller-Meteor Cadillac is the oldest licensed ambulance operating in the United States.
Part of the Symbiosis ambulance fleet, an urgent care and EMS specialist in Southern California, the vehicle rides on the same Cadillac commercial chassis that was the basis for many a hearse, ambulance, and ghostbuster. (Ecto-1 was built by the same company but was a 1959 “Sentinel” model.)
Symbiosis partnered on the GWR attempt with Axene Continuing Education, a Texas-based provider of emergency medical services (EMS) courses. Although there are faster methods of travel (and quicker “ambulances”) to get from one coast to the other, the team had a noble cause. The goals were actually two-fold: to raise awareness for first responders while highlighting the need for continuous EMS education.
“This was the perfect opportunity that my students could engage with,” Dr. Erik Axene said to the city of Hollywood (FL). “In the industry, most of the education is drab and boring. [With the record attempt] everyone’s watching and engaged so they learn something, and patients are better taken care of and communities are safer.”
To showcase this, Axene taught a new course on cardiac patient treatment to firefighters and EMTs upon arrival in Florida. But the Floridians weren’t the only meet-and-educate session. Officially a journey of 3,233 miles, the cross-country tour started on March 1 and took nine days to complete. This included planned and, er, unplanned stops.
Symbiosis details the full experience via an Instagram Highlight that shows the power steering going kaput in Arizona, dust storm driving in Texas, a cold spell in Arkansas, and rain in Florida. Road trip prep is a must-do, but you can only control so much.
Nevertheless, the docs and medics adapted to the situation (kind of their job, really). Pit stops with curious passerbys, scheduled showings with local EMS teams, befriending roadside mechanics, lots of takeout and drive-thrus—everything that made this trip a journey, not a commute. Doesn’t hurt that a world record was earned in the process and shoutouts given to first responders along the way. One question, though: How much is the ambulance bill, and who’s paying?