# I found this sticker on my...ambulance?



## JJR512 (Sep 8, 2008)

"THIS VEHICLE IS NOT EQUIPPED WITH THE FORD AMBULANCE PREPARATION PACKAGE AND IS NOT SUITABLE FOR USE AS AN AMBULANCE. MAKING THIS VEHICLE INTO AN AMBULANCE WILL VOID THE FORD WARRANTY AND MAY RESULT IN ELEVATED UNDERBODY TEMPERATURES, FUEL OVER-PRESSURIZATION AND THE RISK OF FUEL EXPULSION AND FIRES."

That sticker is on the driver's door frame of an ambulance I was driving the other day. I don't know how many other vehicles in my private company's fleet also have that sticker, but given the condition of most of the vehicles (piss-poor), I wouldn't be surprised if it's more common than not.

Anyone else ever noticed this sticker on an ambulance?


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## Ridryder911 (Sep 8, 2008)

No, but I ask if who manufactured your EMS unit? The reason it is there is due to the electrical, heating and a/c systems on regular chassis is not sufficient enough. 

R/r 911


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## reaper (Sep 8, 2008)

Who is the maker of your units? All Ambulances on a ford chassis should be on an ambulance chassis. They have upgraded a/c units, upgraded engine cooling and electrical systems and upgraded suspension systems. There was a shortage of ambulance chassis's a few years back, sounds like someone decided not to wait!


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## JJR512 (Sep 8, 2008)

The company has maybe about 30 units total, some are Type IIs (like the one in question here), some are the kind with a module box on a van chassis with van cab and pass-through. Most of the company's units are Fords, although lately they've been getting Chevys. They are manufactured by a few different companies. I believe McCoy-Miller is the most common manufacturer of my company's units, but until I go back to work on Thursday, I won't know for certain.

Surprisingly, this particular ambulance is actually one of the less problematic of the fleet. Although a bit rickety, it still has most of its power, most of its braking ability, the AC works fine, and the steering is tolerable (a bit lighter than I'd like, and perhaps starting to get a bit loose). Emergency and regular lights, siren, stereo, other electronics, and AC all seem to work fine (at the same time) at regular idle without seeming to cause a strain.

The biggest problems with this unit, as with a lot of other units at this company and the others I have worked for, is that it is not properly maintained on a daily basis. Cleaning isn't done regularly, so even when it's washed it still looks grungy, the interior looks grungy, interior panels are allowed to break or fall off without being fixed or replaced, there are loose screws holding stuff together, hinges squeak or are sticky, dents and scratches aren't fixed, etc. In general, its appearance sends a message to customers that the company doesn't care.


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## mycrofft (Sep 8, 2008)

*Wait 'til the cot catch breaks with a pt on board.*

.....................:excl:...................


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## JJR512 (Sep 9, 2008)

Hmm... I don't think that really has anything to do with whether or not the Ford chassis has the ambulance prep package or not.


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## reaper (Sep 9, 2008)

All Ford chassis that are built for ambulance use, must have a sticker on driver door frame, stating that it meets the standards for use.


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## Flight-LP (Sep 9, 2008)

JJR512 said:


> The company has maybe about 30 units total, some are Type IIs (like the one in question here), some are the kind with a module box on a van chassis with van cab and pass-through. Most of the company's units are Fords, although lately they've been getting Chevys. They are manufactured by a few different companies. I believe McCoy-Miller is the most common manufacturer of my company's units, but until I go back to work on Thursday, I won't know for certain.
> 
> Surprisingly, this particular ambulance is actually one of the less problematic of the fleet. Although a bit rickety, it still has most of its power, most of its braking ability, the AC works fine, and the steering is tolerable (a bit lighter than I'd like, and perhaps starting to get a bit loose). Emergency and regular lights, siren, stereo, other electronics, and AC all seem to work fine (at the same time) at regular idle without seeming to cause a strain.
> 
> The biggest problems with this unit, as with a lot of other units at this company and the others I have worked for, is that it is not properly maintained on a daily basis. Cleaning isn't done regularly, so even when it's washed it still looks grungy, the interior looks grungy, interior panels are allowed to break or fall off without being fixed or replaced, there are loose screws holding stuff together, hinges squeak or are sticky, dents and scratches aren't fixed, etc. In general, its appearance sends a message to customers that the company doesn't care.




As it should you. You are making the decision to ride around in a poorly maintained vehicle that was not intended to be used as an ambulance. Why do you choose to stay there?


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## JJR512 (Sep 9, 2008)

Paradoxically, the one company that seems like it tries to keep its units clean and shiny also has a horrible reputation for competency and care.

All of the private companies around the Greater Baltimore Metropolitan Area (LifeStar, TransCare, East Coast, Butler Medical Transport, Handle With Care, Hart to Heart, AAA, a few others) have units that aren't clean, have dents and scratches, and look like crap. The company I work for has maybe a higher percentage of these units than some of the other companies. But, they are also in the process of getting new units and retiring old ones.

Another reason I stay is that my company operates the Regional Neonatal Transport Team, a joint venture between Johns Hopkins and University of Maryland to do NICU transports from other hospitals to either Hopkins or UMMC. They also operate a PICU team at Hopkins, as well as a critical care team at Hopkins. For someone like me who wants to drive for one of these special teams, especially one dedicated to children, the company I work for is the best place to be. And the units dedicated to those teams are kept well maintained, clean, and shiny.

It's just the BLS units they don't seem to give two farts about.


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## Grady_emt (Sep 20, 2008)

We have 36 units, and one is like this without the Prep Package.  In the summer, this unit is constantly over-heating, A/C constantly failing, etc etc etc.

The box is a McCoy Miller Remount onto an F350 by a authorized McCoy Dealer/Repair facility here in the Atlanta area.  Of course we have a multitude of issues with said facility as our contracted shop that I wont get into here.


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## imurphy (Sep 20, 2008)

JJR512 said:


> The biggest problems with this unit, as with a lot of other units at this company and the others I have worked for, is that it is not properly maintained on a daily basis. Cleaning isn't done regularly, so even when it's washed it still looks grungy, the interior looks grungy, interior panels are allowed to break or fall off without being fixed or replaced, there are loose screws holding stuff together, hinges squeak or are sticky, dents and scratches aren't fixed, etc. In general, its appearance sends a message to customers that the company doesn't care.



Not to be an a$$ here, but, em, who's fault is it that the truck isn't clean? In my service at least, the crew are responsible for the cleanliness of the vehicle. I for one wouldn't like to think of my mother being picked up in an ambulance that wasn't clean and therefore presented an infection risk. 

As to the checking of the unit. Again, lies with the crew.

Sorry if this offends, just in my service it's a crew responsibility.


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## JJR512 (Sep 21, 2008)

imurphy said:


> Not to be an a$$ here, but, em, who's fault is it that the truck isn't clean? In my service at least, the crew are responsible for the cleanliness of the vehicle. I for one wouldn't like to think of my mother being picked up in an ambulance that wasn't clean and therefore presented an infection risk.
> 
> As to the checking of the unit. Again, lies with the crew.
> 
> Sorry if this offends, just in my service it's a crew responsibility.



I would like to suggest that it's not only the crew's responsibility, but that it's also the management's responsibility. In any industry, whenever something is supposed to be done by the workers, it's always management's responsibility to make sure that it was done and done right.

In the company that I work for, yes, the crews are supposed to keep the units clean, they are supposed to keep the units stocked, and they are supposed to report damage and maintenance issues. Unfortunately, it seems that in many commercial ambulance companies, especially at the BLS level, there are a lot of employees who see the job only as a source of a paycheck. They don't give a damn about the patients and they don't give a damn about the equipment. And when they see that they can get away with this attitude because management never checks up on them, this kind of attitude can flourish into the problem we have here.

I have multiple suggestions for improving the way the company I work for operates. I have written many of them out. I'm just not sure about the best way to share them with the management team, since much of it comes across as pointing out to them that they're not doing their job adequately.


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## JJR512 (Sep 21, 2008)

Ridryder911 said:


> No, but I ask if who manufactured your EMS unit? The reason it is there is due to the electrical, heating and a/c systems on regular chassis is not sufficient enough.
> 
> R/r 911



The manufacturer is "Medix Specialty Vehicles", whom I have never heard of before. I haven't yet done any research on this company but I'll look into them soon.

I thought of refusing to drive this particular ambulance. I probably could, but don't want to be labelled a troublemaker just yet. Anyway, I'm sure they'd point out the unit has over 220,000 miles and hasn't blown up yet, so there's nothing wrong with it.


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## Ridryder911 (Sep 21, 2008)

I would anonymously send an e-mail with the pic to your state EMS authority that is in charge of inspection of the units. Inform them, that they have two weeks to investigate the system and why this has met the State requirements? If not corrected you will go to the press. Its election year  and I am sure no one wants bad press. 

Good luck !

R/r 911


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## mattulance (Dec 22, 2008)

*Thats a new one*

I was a ford diesel tech for three years and I don't think I ever saw a sticker like that, depending on the year the "ambulance prep package" is just a group of features (diesel engine. dual alternators, 3.73/4.11 limited slip differential and rear HVAC ready ect.) The only saftey additions to the package ,that I know of are extra exaust system heat sheilds , that I have never really noticed a differance between ambulance prep and not. I noticed that the sticker was peeling, that usually means that it came off something , or the rig may be the frankenstein of a cheap body shop, in any event I would say that if it has made it this far it is probiably going be fine.


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## WiFi_Cowgirl (Jan 20, 2009)

I'd say that your ambulance manfacturer has some explaining to do. Furthermore, what kind of ambulance is it? Like a van that was converted to an ambulance? It's not a hearst, is it?


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## medic417 (Jan 20, 2009)

mattulance said:


> I was a ford diesel tech for three years and I don't think I ever saw a sticker like that, depending on the year the "ambulance prep package" is just a group of features (diesel engine. dual alternators, 3.73/4.11 limited slip differential and rear HVAC ready ect.) The only saftey additions to the package ,that I know of are extra exaust system heat sheilds , that I have never really noticed a differance between ambulance prep and not. I noticed that the sticker was peeling, that usually means that it came off something , or the rig may be the frankenstein of a cheap body shop, in any event I would say that if it has made it this far it is probiably going be fine.



Actually I have owned multiple ford trucks that had same sticker.  It is clear Ford felt my particular trucks should not be converted to ambulances.  Perhaps your short time did not expose you to all the details.


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## reaper (Jan 20, 2009)

All Ford 350-450's will have that sticker on the B-post. Ford does make a prep package made specifically for ambulances.


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## marineman (Jan 20, 2009)

JJR512 said:


> The manufacturer is "Medix Specialty Vehicles",



That's the brand we're switching too, good thing ours are chevs. They don't use stickers they'll just let us find out the hard way.


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## JJR512 (Jan 20, 2009)

reaper said:


> All Ford 350-450's will have that sticker on the B-post. Ford does make a prep package made specifically for ambulances.


Oh my frickin' God, so on the dozens of other ambulances that were Ford 350s and 450s and did NOT have this sticker but DID have one that says something to the effect of "This vehicle is equipped with the Ford Ambulance Prep Package", what was that, a hallucination? I hallucinated seeing the ambo prep package sticker on dozens of ambulances over the last two years, on every single ambulance, except for some bizarre reason just this one, just the one I posted a picture of above? OK, OK, give me 24 hours and I will have photographic evidence of a Ford E-350 ambulance that does NOT have this sticker on its B-post but DOES have the "equipped with ambo prep package sticker". In fact, I'll try to get pics of at least half a dozen ambulances to prove this quote wrong.


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## marineman (Jan 20, 2009)

I think he meant that all E350's and 450's that don't have the prep package have it directed at the mechanic that never saw the sticker before.


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## reaper (Jan 21, 2009)

Yes that is what I meant.

If it is not a chassis designed with the ambulance prep package, it will have a sticker stating that.

If it is designed with the prep package, then it will have a sticker stating that.

A little clearer to understand?


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