# Cooling an Ambulance in the Summer



## MMiz (Jun 29, 2008)

Does anyone else find it really hard to keep the rig cool when it's 95+ degrees out?  For some reason it's nearly impossible to keep cool air flowing to the back passenger compartment.  Do you have any tricks?  Advice?


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## mikeylikesit (Jun 29, 2008)

yeah we have a slide window on our side door in the back or the rig. i crack that a bit to create a pressure gradient and pull more toward the back.


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## reaper (Jun 29, 2008)

Buy a Fraiser!! They are the best in hot climates. You could hang meat back there, when the A/C is cranked.


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## Flight-LP (Jun 29, 2008)

Or buy a Braun which is built better than a Frazier and comes with 3 separate A/C units with the option of overhead venting in the pt. compartment. Sorry, I have yet to see it beat................


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## Jon (Jun 29, 2008)

Park them in a cool garage... then keep them running onscene.... and make sure the AC unit is serviced once in a while.


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## mikeylikesit (Jun 29, 2008)

Jon said:


> Park them in a cool garage... then keep them running onscene.... and make sure the AC unit is serviced once in a while.


 I'm sure pretty soon though the service will tell you to just roll down your window since the A/C unit wastes too much gas.


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## Hastings (Jun 29, 2008)

Our cooling system is great, except it only gets the end of the bench closest to the back of the rig and the area where the cot is secured. If there's a third rider, whoever is in the attendant's seat is dying.


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## mycrofft (Jun 29, 2008)

*Roger, Jon*

A/C breaks down just after the intercom does and never delivers the CFPM the demo does at the show. Know where the system's intake and outlets are, vacuum them, keep them free of obstructions.

Reflective windows seem to help but you can't see out at night and reflecting sunlight onto other motorists helps public relations so much.

Use the exhaust fan to suck out hotter air from top of unit.


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## mattulance (Jun 30, 2008)

Cold packs


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## Grady_emt (Jul 2, 2008)

reaper said:


> Buy a Fraiser!! They are the best in hot climates. You could hang meat back there, when the A/C is cranked.



Frazer is the correct spelling, and yes, they are quite good at cooling.   Our McCoy Millers are mostly crap, but we pur 65,000 miles a year on them, so they are just run ragged after a while.


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## EMTAlex209 (Jul 4, 2008)

*Cooling your Ambulance*

Depending on your make and model. Most have an high idle option. Put your up front AC on high and your rear AC the same. Should be good to go when you get back in on scene.


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## KEVD18 (Jul 4, 2008)

i prefer to close the door between the cab and the pc.

blast the rear ac and the front ac. the front ac doesnt have the capacity to effectively cool both compartments and vice versa for the rear. by separating the compartments, the systems work much more efficiently(at least in my experience).

now, as far as working in a vehicle with an inoperable ac unit in the summer, this is as easy as it gets. mass oems regulations require that the rear climate control system must be fully operational for the ambulance to be used. they could hardly care less about the cab. so if the heat/ac in the back doesnt work, i simply mark the unit out of service and either take another truck or go home and get paid anyway. i simply wont work in inhumane conditions. its not good for my health or the health of my patients.

i had a shift a few years back. i was brand new at a company and hadnt yet developed my backbone as it were. the ambulance from my garage that was assigned to the paramedics had a broken ac. neither the front nor the back worked. since that particular medic crew did an exceptional amount of static posting, they refused to take it. so they were reassigned to my truck. they moved all their gear and away they went. by the time i got into work that day, the "out of service" truck was the only one left. neither me nor my partner had the stones to refuse to work, we took it. it was 110deg that day. i became severely dehydrated and required medical attention for it. since then, i'll be damned if im going to risk my health to make somebody else rich. i have since then refused to take vehicles many times if they were deficient in some way that was a significant hazard to me or my patients.


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## Jon (Jul 5, 2008)

+1 to Kev,

In PA, the rules are similar... the back must reach a certian temp within a few minutes.

I've refused trucks because they didn't have AC, and it was just a warm spring day. I've also insisted that trucks at the vollie squad be placed OOS for the same reason... I"ll sweat my *** off doing compressions on scene.. but when we finally get the patient into the rig... it should be COOLER, not HOTTER than the scene.

Jon


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## KEVD18 (Jul 5, 2008)

Jon said:


> ...but when we finally get the patient into the rig... it should be COOLER, not HOTTER than the scene...
> 
> Jon




unless of course it winter...


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## MJordan2121 (Jul 6, 2008)

*High Idle*

When we press in our parking brake on the ambulance, it puts it into high-idle mode and keeps the unit cool. I live in South Mississippi and it gets quite hot with the humidity levels factored in. It helps to park in the shade, under a tree or somewhere where the sun isn't pounding on you.


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## gradygirl (Jul 7, 2008)

We always had our mechanics make sure that the A/C was fully charged before going out. When we were out, we parked in the shade as much as possible and put the truck in high-idle with the air blowing on high both in front and back. More often than not, the cab was comfortable and the pt. compartment was ice cold.

It seems like Mississippi and Connecticut have the same idea...


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## Medic9 (Jul 7, 2008)

We run three Osage Rigs and I freeze all the time no matter what rig I am in.


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## Grady_emt (Jul 8, 2008)

Park in the shade at post, High-idol, pop the hood and open it up to vent the excess heat in the engine compt. Finally, if there is a breeze, put the nose of the truck into it.  It helps keep fresh, cooler air flowing through the engine and will in turn help the A/C


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## emtwannabe (Jul 9, 2008)

A good mechanic makes all of the difference....here in Houston, it is mandatory that we have fully functional a/c.  Luckily, we have just acquired a terrific new mechanic that really listens to us, and fixes the broken stuff.


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## mycrofft (Jul 10, 2008)

*It's nice to have rules that the A/C will work,*

...but Murphy thinks otherwise.


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## 68blackbird (Jul 10, 2008)

now maybe a little of the subject... but a suburban in houston in the middle of summer! Why can't I keep mine cool?


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