# Which Type Of Ambulance Do You Prefer To Work In?



## mfrjason (Jan 15, 2007)

For me,I prefer the Type III (box type). Sure all ambulances are top heavy,but with the Type III U have more head room,as compared to the Type II (van type),where you have to almost bend over just to work inside of it. I've ridden and driven both types and I am not impressed with the type II. Type II ambulances may be thinner and easier to get into tight spaces,but when you are working on a full-arrest patient,you need every ounce of space to work with. I also dont mind the medium-duty style of ambulance,I like the size and they are intimidating as hell and offer a little bit more room than the Type III,they are more or less preferred by paramedic services. If I had my own service,I would want at least one medium-duty unit in my fleet.


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## MMiz (Jan 15, 2007)

I'd much rather work in a Type III, while I know many people I work in would rather have a Type II.  I like the additional space, both for me and the patient.

Our Type IIs have more room up front and are much more responsive.  I'd still take a Type II, and our service is now transitioning to an all Type III fleet.


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## Ridryder911 (Jan 15, 2007)

Wow!.. I haven't seen a van type in years, except for non-emergency services. I used to work in them for years and they durable and easy to drive; but horrible to work with ALS care. 

R/r 911


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## fm_emt (Jan 15, 2007)

Ridryder911 said:


> Wow!.. I haven't seen a van type in years, except for non-emergency services. I used to work in them for years and they durable and easy to drive; but horrible to work with ALS care.
> 
> R/r 911



That's almost *all* you'll see around here (Type II) - there are a handful of Type III units rolling around. We have one, and it's my favorite. 

I just wish it had some cupholders!


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## Ridryder911 (Jan 16, 2007)

LOL ... Cup-holders is one of the first thing the boss specs... after hearing from the crews. Our new trucks have holders in the console that hold cups and our portable radios (talkies).. I guess he rather see us without stains...LOL  The other nice thing they finally placed in them was CD players.. most of us have Mp3 we place in them ... makes road trips nicer. 

R/r 911


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## KEVD18 (Jan 17, 2007)

my paid service uses almost entirely vans als and bls. my vollies has a medium duty(what i will always refer to as a heavy rescue). i like the van for that service area(boston) but totally understand my my medics hate them the heavy is just freakin awesome. i dont have enough equipment to fill it!!!! 

my only issue is my paid service has a policy that every truck hit 325,000 to 350,000 miles before its retired, unless a catastrophic situation prevents that. this means we have a few trucks that are several years old with 300+ on em. the rattle, leak when it trains. nothing works anymore. have to jump em every day. it gets ridiculous.


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## fm_emt (Jan 17, 2007)

Ridryder911 said:


> LOL ... Cup-holders is one of the first thing the boss specs... after hearing from the crews. Our new trucks have holders in the console that hold cups and our portable radios (talkies).. I guess he rather see us without stains...LOL  The other nice thing they finally placed in them was CD players.. most of us have Mp3 we place in them ... makes road trips nicer.



Our older type III has an AM/FM stereo. I think that CD players would just wind up broken after a while. Those iPod -> FM transmitters work pretty good most of the time, though. 

I'm pondering bringing a Sirius satellite radio unit with me for some of the long transports.

Right now we have a milk crate between the seats that holds our maps & other important books and stuff.


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## Tincanfireman (Jan 17, 2007)

fm_emt said:


> Right now we have a milk crate between the seats that holds our maps & other important books and stuff.


 
Where would we be without our beloved milk crates!


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## FireStrut (Jan 17, 2007)

*I would have to go with the type III. Alot more room and easier to work on the patient.*


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## klogerg (Jan 17, 2007)

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.


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## fm_emt (Jan 17, 2007)

klogerg said:


> 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.



Why would it be foolish? We have one for every day use and another new one that we use for neonatal transports only. It works great.

Otherwise the daily driver gets used on BLS calls. I like it. It has character. ;-)


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## klogerg (Jan 18, 2007)

Well, i suppose it depends on what type of service you are in.  I do mostly transports(the only thing that keeps private servicves going), and for those it seems silly to spend the money to buy, fuel, and maintain a type III.  For BLS tansfers, a Van is quite sufficient....in my humble opinion.  Although dont get me wrong, I never turn down an opportunity to take out a III.


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## Airwaygoddess (Jan 18, 2007)

Thank God for only being 5"3" at least I can stand up in a type 2!


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## mfrjason (Jan 18, 2007)

Our rig had an am/fm radio with good speakers in it. When we would be returning to station from our run,we would always be,well,not blasting it,but just loud enough to where we could hear our tones go out.


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## mfrjason (Jan 18, 2007)

A majority of the ambulances I drove or rode in were the type III,I guess that is why Im so hooked on them,gotta love the space in the back. Type III is the only type I would work in.


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## wolfwyndd (Jan 18, 2007)

The squad I run with has two ambulances, one is a freightliner chassis with a box on the back (no idea if that's a type 1,2, or 3) and the other is a Ford van chassis with a box on the back.  Personally, for DRIVING I like the freightliner better.  Even though it's bigger I find it easier to drive.  However, the ride in the back of the Freightliner sucks.  The Ford van I don't like driving because the box is wider then the cab so I find it more difficult to tell where the cab ends and the box begins.  I've ALMOST sideswipped a few trees getting into driveways or the bay.  On the other hand the ride in the back rocks.  It's so smooth you can barely tell if you're moving.


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## Tincanfireman (Jan 18, 2007)

mfrjason said:


> Type III is the only type I would work in.


 
I like Type III's better than the vans, but if the guy who signs my paycheck decides that I'll like vans better, who am I to argue?


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## fm_emt (Jan 19, 2007)

Airwaygoddess said:


> Thank God for only being 5"3" at least I can stand up in a type 2!



You could stand up in a VW Bug!!


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## mfrjason (Jan 19, 2007)

The type of ambulance you are describing wolf is considered a medium duty ambulance. There is only one service in the county that I live in right now that has 3 of them,which replaced the type III.


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## KEVD18 (Jan 20, 2007)

wolfwyndd said:


> The squad I run with has two ambulances, one is a freightliner chassis with a box on the back (no idea if that's a type 1,2, or 3) and the other is a Ford van chassis with a box on the back.  Personally, for DRIVING I like the freightliner better.  Even though it's bigger I find it easier to drive.  However, the ride in the back of the Freightliner sucks.  The Ford van I don't like driving because the box is wider then the cab so I find it more difficult to tell where the cab ends and the box begins.  I've ALMOST sideswipped a few trees getting into driveways or the bay.  On the other hand the ride in the back rocks.  It's so smooth you can barely tell if you're moving.




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

type 2: van, converted into a bambulance. passthrough big enough for a person

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

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


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## Mercy4Angels (Jan 21, 2007)

klogerg said:


> 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.


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## Jon (Jan 21, 2007)

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.


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## Anomalous (Jan 21, 2007)

KEVD18 said:


> 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.
> 
> ...



Seems like they outta be called heavy duty, huh?


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## 94accord (Jan 24, 2007)

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.


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## emtff376 (Jan 24, 2007)

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)


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## Tincanfireman (Jan 24, 2007)

94accord said:


> 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...


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## traumajunkie769 (Jan 24, 2007)

*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:


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## FF/EMT Sam (Jan 24, 2007)

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.


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## Ridryder911 (Jan 25, 2007)

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


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## traumajunkie769 (Jan 25, 2007)

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.


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## KEVD18 (Jan 25, 2007)

Anomalous said:


> 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.


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## traumajunkie769 (Jan 25, 2007)

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.


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## KEVD18 (Jan 25, 2007)

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


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## traumajunkie769 (Jan 25, 2007)

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.


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## 94accord (Jan 26, 2007)

Tincanfireman said:


> 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.


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## KEVD18 (Jan 26, 2007)

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.


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## mfrjason (Jan 26, 2007)

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.


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## firecoins (Jan 30, 2007)

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.


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## mfrjason (Jan 31, 2007)

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.


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## mfrjason (Feb 21, 2007)

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.


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## Mercy4Angels (Feb 21, 2007)

nothing but HD type III's.


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## Jon (Feb 23, 2007)

mfrjason said:


> 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.


You have GOT to be freakin' kidding. I've seen shorter school busses.


Unless you are talking about Cambridge, Mass's "Rescue 1" - a custom-chassis rescue/ambulance.

And then there is always the Transport-Pumper.

Jon


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## Recycled Words (Feb 25, 2007)

My VAC uses medium duty ambulances and I love them. People make fun of us for their size and how many lights we use, but the one or two times I've been in smaller rigs, I've felt cramped. I guess I'm just spoiled


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## zvi-emt (Feb 26, 2007)

*III's vs. II's*

I started my EMS career in type 2's and im never going back! The amount of room and space for storing equipment, turnout, etc. is very important to me, Also, if I was a patient I wouldn't want 2 cramped emt's hovering right on top of me in a van, Id much prefer to have some breathing room.


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## mfrjason (Feb 26, 2007)

Medtec Ambulance,which is a sister company to Pierce,designed it,other than that I dont know.


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## 94accord (Mar 6, 2007)

KEVD18 said:


> 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.



for backing up.... but funny none-the-less.


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## Jon (Mar 6, 2007)

mfrjason said:


> Medtec Ambulance,which is a sister company to Pierce,designed it,other than that I dont know.


I'd be intresteed in a link or picture, to know what you are talking about.


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## MMiz (Mar 6, 2007)

zvi-emt said:


> I started my EMS career in type 2's and im never going back! The amount of room and space for storing equipment, turnout, etc. is very important to me, Also, if I was a patient I wouldn't want 2 cramped emt's hovering right on top of me in a van, Id much prefer to have some breathing room.


A Type II ambulance is a van-type ambulance


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## mfrjason (Mar 12, 2007)

Jon said:


> You have GOT to be freakin' kidding. I've seen shorter school busses.
> 
> 
> Unless you are talking about Cambridge, Mass's "Rescue 1" - a custom-chassis rescue/ambulance.
> ...



The one I saw was in service for Seminole County Florida,and its a nice one too.


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## mfrjason (Mar 12, 2007)

Jon said:


> I'd be intresteed in a link or picture, to know what you are talking about.



I will try to get you the website next chance I get.


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