Which Type Of Ambulance Do You Prefer To Work In?

[Mercy4Angels]

Type III's are awesome, unfourtanetely my company uses mostly type II's, so i rarely get to use III. but then again, i am a basic, and it seems kind of foolish for basics to have III's.

no way i hate type II's times a million. I only use type III's. Its all we have the type II is too small.

 

[Jon]

Type II's are fine for transports, or even BLS/ALS calls with a SINGLE provider in the back. If you have an EMT and a medic in the back, it gets crowded, and if you have students too, it is CRAZY. Type II's are fine for BLS transport, and are easier to drive in confined spaces.

 

[Anomalous]

type 1: regular truck/van chassis with a box. only a window between the cab and box(if that)

Good description. Mostly look like a pickup truck in the front.

type 3: truck/van chassis with a box and full size passthrough

Looks more like a van than a pickup.

med duty: the mother of all ambulances. heavy duty/commercial chassis. big and beautiful

Seems like they outta be called heavy duty, huh?

 

[94accord]

My company has about 17 ambulances in its fleet, and only 2 type III that I know of. I have never driven one, but I have ridden in one on several occasions. From the tech perspective, I love the extra room in the type III, but as a driver, I think I would like to have the ability to get in and out of tight spaces. Thus the battle begins.

There is a local fire house that has this rig... I am not sure what the hell it is, but oooooo I want one. The thing looks like a Freightliner from the front, complete with air horns. It has air ride suspension, and when they back into the hospital and open the back doors, the whole damn rig lowers like a foot and a half! That thing is like the Ramada Inn on wheels compared to our type II rigs. If anyone knows what kind of rig this is, I would love to know. I have overheard people calling it a "Big Boy" on more than one occasion, but I was not sure if that was a nickname they had for it or what. Anyway... thanks in advance.

Stay safe out there.

 

[emtff376]

We have vans and boxes, but I prefer the box for several reasons. Our boxes are 4WD and ride nicer in the back, at least for the providers (I can't speak from riding on the cot, except for on the return trip! ). I've been in two of our vans and came very close to hurling before making it to the hosp. (we have a 40 mile tx. over 3 mountain ranges)

 

[Tincanfireman]

If anyone knows what kind of rig this is, I would love to know

Sounds like a Freightliner Medium Duty Ambulance with a couple of the nicer add-ons...

 

[traumajunkie769]

Type II or II

If given my choice, I would have to say Type III. For no other reason than I need the room. I'm 6'2" and the extra headroom is nice. Type IIs are nice if you are in an area of the country that gets icy/snowy weather. They handle so much better than a rig w/ dual wheels.:usa:

 

[FF/EMT Sam]

Type 2 is just another way of saying "2 small." If I wanted a toy ambulance, I'd get a Matchbox truck.

Seriously, though, I can imagine that Type IIs are fine for transports, and the geography of some areas may make them desirable, but I'll stick with my Type III.

 

[Ridryder911]

I believe the days of the large Freightliner and huge trucks are over. I was discussing with a sales rep that they sold a lot in the late 90's and early 2000 but with the costs of upkeep and the costs was never able to justify them.

It seemed everyone wanted one at one time but I see many services getting rid of them and going back to the traditional Type I or Type III. We do not have very many Type II's anymore, some still use some for long distance transfer.

R/r 911

 

[traumajunkie769]

The point I was making regarding the Type II handling so much better is that on ice & snow, Type IIIs sometimes have the tendency to float rather than dig in to get traction. It is in these cases that the Type II is superior to the Type III. Other that that give me a 3 any day of the week.

 

[KEVD18]

Seems like they outta be called heavy duty, huh?

i think so and generally refer to them as heavy rescues which makes every firefighter in the room walk over and smack me. from the fire point of view, the heavy rescue is the big truck that carries all the special tools, not the ambulance. from the rescue side, its a big *** heavy duty truck and "heavy rescue" fits. oh well. the fire guys can have the term, i make better coffee.

 

[traumajunkie769]

I think the term "Heavy Rescue" does more or less apply to the vehicle that is used in a capacity such as extrication & special situations such as high angle rescue or confined space entry. When the vehicle is used as an ambulance, I think they are more or less geared toward special purposes such as MICU or the like.

 

[KEVD18]

yeah....but i still call my med duty rescue heavy and i refuse to stop!

 

[traumajunkie769]

Works for me, Kev. I have worked in cities where the medic rigs were referred to as rescues. Where we are, they are either ambulances or medic units since the hose jockeys usually do the "rescue" functions.

Now, before any of the FF/EMT personnel on the site get miffed. I am also a firefighter. When responding w/ the FD, I am what the big city FDs would refer to as a truckie. I am one of the raving lunatics that will go into the burning structure without a second thought. I'm one of those that thrive on the pressure & intensity of the situation.

 

[94accord]

Sounds like a Freightliner Medium Duty Ambulance with a couple of the nicer add-ons...

This thing had like 5 cameras on the outershell for backing up and tight turns! too cool.

 

[KEVD18]

cameras? what do you need cameras for? we all know that the faster you go, the thinner/shorter the rig is. just close your eyes and punch it.

 

[mfrjason]

In some states,they refer to ambulances as RA's,which Im sure everyone knows means Rescue Ambulance,and in New York,they refer to ambulances as busses. Good thing ambulances cant hear what we call them otherwide they would think they are having an identity crisis,lol.

 

[firecoins]

I prefer to work in a fully stocked ambulance, stocked with a full bar.

I would like to work in a working ambulance. It helps get the job done.

 

[mfrjason]

Medium duty rigs I think are meant to look like rescue trucks for a reason,it seems like that though if you look inside a a rig that size that you would expect it to look a lil bigger,even though it looks the same size as a type III on the inside.

 

[mfrjason]

Just found out the other day that there is a new size ambulance out. It is called the additional duty rig,its alil bigger than the medium duty rig.