NEW Chester Ambulance 314 & 316

[RWC130 594]

JUST DELIVERED 2/13/07

(2) 2007 HORTON TYPE I

International Navistar 4300 Series Chassis

International Diesel Motor matched up with a Allison Transmission

Federal Electronic Q Siren w/ Dual 100 W Speakers and Air Horns

All lights are Whelen Super LEDS

FIRST OF IT'S KIND IN ORANGE COUNTY, NY

(Click On Photos To Enlarge)

[trauma74 111]

Rob,

Thanks for posting the pics!

[201/65 94]

First in Orange County in what way?

Very nice rigs. Good luck with them.

[trauma74 111]

First Ambulances in Orange County that are mounted on International Chassis.

[201/65 94]

Ahh I see. How much cost difference between those and the E-450 Type III's?

[trauma74 111]

The International is about $30K more then the E-450. It is a big increase, but our buses will last longer and our vehicle repair costs will decrease.

[trauma74 111]

Since taking delivery of our new ambulances last week, I have seen some negative comments posted here and on another website that I visit frequently. I have heard that there is no reason to get an ambulance with an International chassis and that having this type of ambulance is a waste of money etc.

I am aware that everyone has their own opinions about these types of ambulances. What I am going to state here is fact.

Up until now we always had Ford type 3 ambulances. In recent years Ford has been plagued with many problems. The ambulances that are being replaced we built on E-350 chassis. These E-350's have been nothing but trouble as far as maintenance goes. Because of the weight of the box and the equipment we carry these ambulances we either at or just over their maximum weight. Brakes and suspension parts were being replaced a few times a year. We had other issues with them also. Back in 2000, we purchased another Ford (unit 315) on the E-450 chassis. This ambulance has been a little better then the 350's but not that much better. Our maintenance costs for all 3 Fords were thru the roof. We began to research other types/brands of chassis to have ambulances built on. We spent about 2 years researching other options. We looked at the Chevy 4500, Freightliner and International. We drove a few demos and talked to just about every major ambulance manufacturer at EMS & Fire Expos.

Our research revealed that medium duty type 1 ambulances do not even come close to being over weight. The maintenance problems that we had with the Fords were basically non-existant on the medium duty ambulances. We also heard about how these types of ambulances had a horrible ride, especially in the patient compartment. We did some more research and found out that the older medium duties did have a horrible ride, but new innovations is suspension systems have smoothed out the ride. When driving the demo ambulances we took them on the worst road in our town to see how the ride was. I had one of my members laying on the stretcher so we would know how the patient felt. We had members standing in the back and also sitting on the bench seat. Another thing we kept in mind was that these demo units were not stocked with any equipment and that the more weight you add to this type of ambulance the better it will ride. We asked the opinions of all our members involved in this research and everyone pretty much agreed that this was the type of ambulance we wanted.

We selected Horton as who we wanted to build our ambulances. We went to our Town Board with the information we had and they started the ball rolling for us. Since the Town was going to pay for these ambulances we had to get a set of specs and have the Town put out the information for the bid process. The Town was aware that these types of ambulances cost more money. They also knew that we had a lot of problems with the Fords. The Town Board had no problem with making a purchase of two medium duty type 1 ambulances. Horton came back as the only bidder and the process went forward from there.

These new units are a little taller and 6 inches longer then our older units. They ride nice and are actually not hard to drive. We do not need a CDL to drive these. They do not have air brakes, they have air assisted brakes. We have one of these new units fully loaded and ready to respond. During our driver training I rode in the back of the ambulance. The ride was a little different, but not anything that would make me or any of my members regret the purchase.

I hope this clears up things.

Douglas S. DiBlasi - Captain

Chester Volunteer Ambulance Corps, Inc.

[x635 4,066]

Thanks for the information and giving us the real deal, Doug.

Now with reports of Ford dropping the Diesel, and many other agencies facing similar problems with the E-series chasis that led you to a medium duty chasis, I think we will start seeing a lot more converts to this type of chasis.

The one complaint I've heard about these ambulance is the ride. But I've heard if you put the proper suspension in, the ride is fine. Plus, in every ambulance I've ever worked in, someone's complain about the ride, whether it's a Type II van etc. I did howeber ride several times in one agencies Freightliners/Hortons, and the ride was horrible....but those ambulances were several years behind in suspension and Horton technolgy.

The other complaint I hear about these ambulances is that for more urban use, they are too big and not as manuverable. They don't fit down small driveways or alleyways. But, as Doug said, they aren't much bigger then some of the E-Series ambulances coming out. And, the turning radius, electrical, heating/AC, and braking power is much better then E-series.

However, the Frazer built ambulance on a Ford F-Super duty chasis will always be my favorite.

[Arrowxt 8]

I saw them both heading east on 84 today. Nice looking rigs. Good luck with them.

Arrow

[trauma74 111]

Thank Arrow. They were on the way to get inspections done at a truck center in Maybrook.