What do you love/hate about your rig?

[VCEMT]

No running boards, on some rigs.

 

[Pudge40]

Want cupholder? Go with Chevy, they have them up front, out of the way, but easy to access. Plus, they will hold a Sonic Route 44 soda with ease!

My biggest suggestion, get rid of the bench and replace it with 2 angled seats with rotating capability and appropriate harnesses. The current standard bench serves no practical purpose as it is the most unsafe place to sit and the recent opinion against multiple patient transports. I never ride on the bench and will not allow anyone on my crew to do so.

You mean like these?

 

[Pudge40]

I have started to see those implemented. A question, though. How do they safely transport a second patient, per KKK requirements?

The backs on the seat (at least the one at my service does) fold down. This creates a flat surface to put the board on. It still has belts like a bench seat for restraint of patient.

 

[HokieEMT]

We placed a new unit in service back in December and suffice to say I love it and so does the rest of the company.

Its a 2009 Freightliner Chassis with a Horton Box and its a beast. Im 6' and can stand with boots on in the patient compartment. Some of the features I like on it that should be included in most units:
- A lockable mount for the monitor. We use the LifePack12 and the mount works wonders. When we had a reserve unit from our county we had to put it in the captains chair and belt it in.

- A garage door like door for the bag compartment. This prevents doors getting the way of getting in and out of the unit using the side door.

-Within that compartment track lighting so you can see what your grabbing on those oh so wonderful 0230 calls.

- Air ride equipped unit so that when you open the back doors the a** of the unit sits down making it easier to load and unload the stretcher. especially when you have a "heavy" patient.

- Cargo net instead of arm rest at the end of the bench seat. Tis is just so you have a more comfortabl place to fall asleep on the way back from the aforementioned 0230 calls.

- Open area between front cab and patient compartment. It makes talking with your driver much easier. The reserve units have this 12"X12" cut out that you cant hear anything through.

- Main radio that has all the same frequencies as the portable. Ive had to use the main radio to talk to the recieving hospital becuase the portable battery died half way through the consult. Not cool, but it would not have been possible in our old unit because the main didnt have it programed. Just the main dispatch channel and the different division channels.

- Ok it may look retarded or whatever you want to call it but Chevron Reflective Markings on the back. We were the first in our county to get this done and let me tell you it definitely helps when we run 10-50s at night on any road especially I95. Once headlights hit that reflective markings it lights up and is seen.

- ill secind the cupholders point. it sucks riding back from a call having to hold it between your legs.

-finally, a functioning FM/AM radio. nothing beats some tunes on the way to a call or on the way back to the firehouse.

 

[Dominion]

- Air ride equipped unit so that when you open the back doors the a** of the unit sits down making it easier to load and unload the stretcher. especially when you have a "heavy" patient.

Wait a couple years. The air ride systems are the biggest pieces of crap ever. Every truck I've ever seen with it rides terrible in the back and is constantly breaking. If you forget to flip the air ride switch once you risk destroying your chassis.

-finally, a functioning FM/AM radio. nothing beats some tunes on the way to a call or on the way back to the firehouse.

The units I used to work in awhile back had CD players with speakers in the back. Was really nice

 

[PapaBear434]

Until I read this thread, I honestly didn't know this many people had side mount cots. All of our trucks, no matter what station, have center load stretchers. I thought they were the more common, and that side mounts were primarily for transport purposes.

Learn something new every day.

 

[Dominion]

It's really just whatever the service can afford.

 

[Akulahawk]

I once used a Stoner unit built in 1983... It was completely serviceable... and it could handle 4 patients. Lying flat. That, and it's V8 Big block GAS motor were about it's only redeeming qualities. Now let's clarify one minor point... The ONLY time I'd EVER consider putting 4 patients in that unit at one time would be for MCI events...

Worst thing Ford did was get rid of the 7.3L Powerstrokes...

Center loading of the cot is wonderful... in units that have the room for them. If there's a "CPR" seat on the patients' right side, you're going to be in a unit generally large enough to comfortably use a center load mount. In the type II units I've been in, most of them don't have the floorspace to do a center loading mount.

I'd have to second the comment about the airbag system... you must remember to inflate/deflate those bags at the appropriate time and they can also be the source of some very uncomfortable swaying of the box. They also will generally require more maintenance and repairs compared to a vehicle that doesn't have that system installed.

Have 2 radios onboard... programmed identically. I generally prefer giving the report to the ED, but there are situations when my driver has to do it. Also, if one radio dies, you can use the other until you complete the call. Any portables should also be programmed the same as the onboard units.

Cupholders. Sized to fit actual cups...

Make sure that any oxygen cylinders can be changed out easily. If you have to open the bench seat to take it out... chances are you're going to have to wrestle with it to load and unload the tank.

Make sure that the flooring material goes up the walls a little ways... that way nasty little beasties can't hide in there... and make certain that you can (quite literally) hose the back of the ambulance out without water getting into anything.

Avoid particle board... It's heavy, weak, and gives off fumes.

 

[Sasha]

Make sure that any oxygen cylinders can be changed out easily. If you have to open the bench seat to take it out... chances are you're going to have to wrestle with it to load and unload the tank.

Oh you bring up horrible memories of working in a Type II. I'd like the second this! Do not buy a truck with the oxygen under the bench seat. They're hard to check, hard to turn on, and hard to change out. I hated having to get on my hands and knees to check to see if the tank needed to be changed or even to turn it on. Often because of this they were left on throughout the shift, and sometiems until they had to be changed out. This is bad for the regulator and causes leaks.

 

[akflightmedic]

Our O2 tanks are under the bench seat however there is a small compartment door where you reach through and turn it on OR you just slide the tank out as it is on a rail slider system and read the gauge or change it out that way.

 

[Sasha]

Our O2 tanks are under the bench seat however there is a small compartment door where you reach through and turn it on OR you just slide the tank out as it is on a rail slider system and read the gauge or change it out that way.

We had the small door, often they were turned the wrong way to read the darn gauge, so you either slid it out or opened the bench seat and pulled out the little trash can and sharps box and the thing it was sitting on to read it.

You COULD pull it out, but these were old trucks and pulling it out was kind of difficult. I prefer just the ones at the end of the bench seat.

 

[TransportJockey]

Oh you bring up horrible memories of working in a Type II. I'd like the second this! Do not buy a truck with the oxygen under the bench seat. They're hard to check, hard to turn on, and hard to change out. I hated having to get on my hands and knees to check to see if the tank needed to be changed or even to turn it on. Often because of this they were left on throughout the shift, and sometiems until they had to be changed out. This is bad for the regulator and causes leaks.

Ugh we had one type II like that. Most of our units that my old service used were type IIs that had the O2 right by the side door standing up in a cabinet. Loved hat setup.
And I wish I'd ever been in a bus that had a center mount gurney. All the rigs here in ABQ are side mount.

 

[Akulahawk]

Most of the type II's I've been have had the cylinder mounted transverse... between the patient area and the cab. Loading and unloading that style was very easy. The type that we used that used the under bench method was actually a type III and there was no way to "torpedo" load the thing... you had to wrestle with it to change it out. The 1983 Stoner had the upright mount in a cabinet in the back corner. Interesting rig... she be old, but could run like a freaking scalded cat!

 

[mycrofft]

Akulahawk we're sharing a wavelength.

How about offroad vehicles, sportsfans? Any HUMMER mods or such? How well do bigbox 4WD units do? (How much is training versus equipment?).

 

[Hal9000]

I've used the one like Akula mentions. It was fins, but I often got green from changing the thing. We have some Type IIIs that have it mounted on the mod behind the driver's area. The best thing is that it is already vertical and has a hydraulic system to load and unload it. Spoiled....

 

[Akulahawk]

I've used the one like Akula mentions. It was fins, but I often got green from changing the thing. We have some Type IIIs that have it mounted on the mod behind the driver's area. The best thing is that it is already vertical and has a hydraulic system to load and unload it. Spoiled....

I generally prefer the vertical mount systems. We'd had two units that vertically mounted the cylinder in an exterior compartment or an easily accessible interior compartment. Those were mini-mods. Nice little rigs...

The one that we'd had to wrestle with to load under the bench seat also had a LOX system... which was VERY nice, when it worked.

 

[firecoins]

I could ride potentially in 100 different rigs over the course of a week.

I prefer Box trucks. Need the space when on an ALS truck. They drive better. I prefer when there is a CPR seat on the pt's right side best but most rigs do not have that.

I do IFT BLS shifts in van types. Hate them.

 

[Akulahawk]

I could ride potentially in 100 different rigs over the course of a week.

I prefer Box trucks. Need the space when on an ALS truck. They drive better. I prefer when there is a CPR seat on the pt's right side best but most rigs do not have that.

I do IFT BLS shifts in van types. Hate them.

I agree. 911 units (especially) should be this type, if for no other reason that you might have to stuff several providers in the vehicle... And that CPR seat is wonderful...

 

[Dominion]

I agree. 911 units (especially) should be this type, if for no other reason that you might have to stuff several providers in the vehicle... And that CPR seat is wonderful...

Agreed on the need for more room. Vanbulances I feel are best for IFT but you could argue that even IFT needs the extra room a box with center load stretcher can afford. I don't care what chasis the box sits on (commercial van, truck, super duty, etc) as long as the back is well laid out, has a smooth as possible ride, and has room to work. However I know several 911 services that ride just vanbulances and they work out (people still complain about room but they do work)