Cadillac Ambulances

[certguy]

Any of you old - timers out there get to work out of the old ghostbuster cadillacs ? When I was at Schaefer ( many moons ago ) our division still had 4 of them , only 1 an active unit , the others were reserves . As a big guy I hated working in the back of them as pt. acess was poor and you couldn't carry much gear , but they did have a few good points ; If you had a long distance transfer and/or a pt. in a lot of pain needing a smooth ride , you couldn't beat a caddie . The rig felt like it glided down the road and the ride was smooth as a baby's backside . It was powered with a 460 interceptor , not real fuel efficient , but it flew down the road . Our rigs were equipped with both electronic and federal Q2B sirens . When you ran code and cranked up that mechanical , people thought fire engine and got the heck out of the way . I loved the looks we got as people realized it was an ambulance going through the intersection . Does anybody turn out a rig that has the caddie's good points along with good pt. access and lots of storage space that's easily accessible nowadays ?

 

[Ridryder911]

To answer your question .. NO.

I remember high tops, usually had your choice of either lights or Q2. I do wish they could produce a comfprtable riding EMS unit, even similar to suburban units.. but, alas I do need the space...

R/r 911

 

[Tincanfireman]

As a big guy I hated working in the back of them as pt. acess was poor and you couldn't carry much gear

In my hometown (Lakewood, OH) when I was growing up in the late 60's and early 70's the PD ran EMS calls in Pontiac station wagons. They had a gurney, a jump kit and a bottle of 02, that was it. To this day I can't begin to fathom how they did any work in the back of those things, but it was all we had until the hospital bought a couple of vans and equipped them as ambulances. How far we have progressed!

 

[burntbob]

when I started

When I started in 78 we were in low top dodge vans with windows all around and cloth curtains. No AC, single rotating light on top and some flashers and a siren with one sound-- me-maw-me-maw.
The nice thing about those rigs were the fact they were light,fast and maneuvered well, especially compared to the duallys that we use now.
and when doing CPR you could brace your back against the ceiling!
I have some pics on my photowebsite.
http://s63.photobucket.com/albums/h159/burntbob1/
For fun I got a great old International Harvester ambulance for paraded and PR events, Check out the Northland Chapter of the Professional Car association for great pics of rigs from back then.

 

[firetender]

I started out with the Flushing Community Volunteer Ambulance Corps. in the early 1970's. As I recall, we had three rigs, all Cadillacs, all 1960's vintage, and they weren't Ghostbusters style, either.

Our latest two rigs were hearses designed specifically as higher-top ambulances, most likely from a manufacturer, and they were done very well. Tight to the max, as we were very well equipt, but custom cabinetry where everything had its place. Chances are, the cabinets were designed and installed by the volunteers, some of whom were Master craftsmen.

What I recall was that Cadillac smell, that Cadillac ride and a real up close and personal experience with, as we called them then, the victims.

 

[Airwaygoddess]

Old school ambulances!

I never had the chance to work in one but I have heard how fast the petal to the medal was and of course! That smooth ride! Where is VentMedic??? Paging VentMedic for those stories about the old school rides!!^_^^_^

 

[certguy]

I've always been of the opinion that we should take ambulance designers on a little ride as a pt. when they're having back or hip pain or push some lasix and wait 10 - 15 min. , then take them out a nice , bumpy , windy mountain road , or let them assist us getting gear out of the cabinets or doing splinting or CPR enroute . Maybe they'll design more comfortable , user - friendly rigs . I've been out of the field a while , but I've never seen any rig that rides as smooth as those caddies did . Too bad caddillac doesn't design modulars . We only had 1 modular at Schaefer . It was ancient and road like a stagecoach but had a ton of storage space , lots of pt. care room and of course , the electronic / Q2B combo . They need to combine the good qualities of both . I take that back , we had 2 modulars . The other was in Imperial Beach and was a dedicated 911 unit . I wprked out of high tops mostly , and occasionally , a low top PITB ( pain in the backside ) .

 

[Ridryder911]

I agree, a smooth ride is nice however; I would never go back for a 8" ride between me and my patient. We tend to forget as we stroll down memory lane there was no room, the attendant was placed in a fold down seat and basically once you placed the patient into the back, that was it. Definitely, no room for any real movement in treating a patient.. thus the reason they are no longer around.. so yes, I rather make sacrifice a few bumps in lieu of not being able to at least stand up, be able to move around my patient or establish an IV, blood pressure, assess, on both sides of my patient.

As well I like my vent, IV pump, LP 12, and I like my 8 lights with additional fluorescent lights to be able to see those tiny veins, etc. I think we tend to forget manifold suction units that one would have to have the driver speed up to suction someone.

Personally, I disliked the Q2's. Still whining down while your loading patient into the unit..

Smooth ride yep, but one can still have a considerable smooth ride if the EVO know their job.

Like remembering past relationships we tend to remember the good, but we when really look back, we also remember the bad...

R/r 911

 

[certguy]

Caddies

Hi Rid ,
I agree with you on the space issue . I hated working in the back of those rigs . That's why I was saying I wish they'd combine that speed and smooth ride with the storage and pt. care space of a modular . That could be an awsome rig . On the Q2 , I was usually on the siren brake a block or so before the scene . They cut through stereos and other noise better than any electronic .

 

[Ridryder911]

Oh, I agree with the ride as well as Q2 would get attention. I was just informing the younger generation, as good as we presented the "good points", it also had its downside...

R/r 911

 

[Grady_emt]

But how many of you can say that your agency has been around since the horse and buggy days of 1896???

The first Grady EMS unit in 1896 with Grady Memorial Hospital's original building in the background.

 

[VentMedic]

I still remember the Cadillac ambulance cruising through the Florida night down a sandy stretch of road at the edge of the Everglades.

Yes, I was inspired at a very young age to be an Ambulance Driver.

By the time I got my first ambulance job with Randall-Eastern in Miami, there were only a couple of Cadillacs left on the back lot for nostalgia. Randall-Eastern's fleet was as impressive as Schaefer's back in the day.

 

[BossyCow]

I didn't work in one, but had an old boyfriend, in college, who drove a restored caddy ambulance as his regular car.

 

[JJR512]

But how many of you can say that your agency has been around since the horse and buggy days of 1896???

The first Grady EMS unit in 1896 with Grady Memorial Hospital's original building in the background.

Horse-drawn carriages? Bah! Westminster VFD, not far from where I live, had firefighter-drawn carriages. That dept. goes back to 1823. Check out the fouth pic from the top... http://www.westminstervfd.org/history.shtml

 

[Jon]

I agree, a smooth ride is nice however; I would never go back for a 8" ride between me and my patient. We tend to forget as we stroll down memory lane there was no room, the attendant was placed in a fold down seat and basically once you placed the patient into the back, that was it. Definitely, no room for any real movement in treating a patient.. thus the reason they are no longer around.. so yes, I rather make sacrifice a few bumps in lieu of not being able to at least stand up, be able to move around my patient or establish an IV, blood pressure, assess, on both sides of my patient.

Umm... Rid... 8" ride between you and the patient? Fold Down seat? No room to work on patient?

Aren't you a flight medic? Sounds like you were describing a helicopter.

 

[firetender]

I didn't work in one, but had an old boyfriend, in college, who drove a restored caddy ambulance as his regular car.

I won't ask!