SUNY Cortland EMS is getting rid of its 2002 Ford AEV Trauma Hawk Econoline Type 3 Ambulance (BLS). It has under 11,000 miles. A few bumps and bruises on the outside. If anyone is interested, feel free to P.M. me.
With the money we recieve from selling our Type 3, and scraping our old FlyCar, we are looking into buying two Brand New, or SLIGHTLY used FlyCars. Anyone have any ideas as to what we should look into vehicle wise? Any information is greatly appreciated!
Ford Expedition, or Tahoe. Both are big enough to comfortably fit your equipment, but small enough to sneak into the tighter space. Personally I prefer the Expedition.
The expedition seems to be a very common flycar both on campus and off. At Binghamton University, we have an expedition as one of our flycars. It is great for responding on campus and maneuvers great. As Blue Mule said, theres enough space for all the equipment you need especially if you but shelving in the back.
The expedition seems to be a very common flycar both on campus and off. At Binghamton University, we have an expedition as one of our flycars. It is great for responding on campus and maneuvers great. As Blue Mule said, theres enough space for all the equipment you need especially if you but shelving in the back.
Speaking of maneuvering I do believe the expedition, has a lot more low end torque which will allow the "truck" to push it's self along more efficiently when around crowds, allowing you to cover the brakes w/o moving from throttle. I do believe transfer case is also geared lower as well, improving in snow and mud performance.
I'll be speaking to a large number of collegiate ems agencies in Feb. at the annual NCEMSF conference. However, I wanted to know what fire departments around the county use as their fly cars.
I'm going to be looking into state bid vehicles as well.
Here's what i've driven and responded with:
2002 Ford Explorer - POV & ALS Fly Car
2007 Ford Explorer - POV & Command Vehicle
2001 GMC Envoy SLE - ALS/BLS Fly Car RVC
2005 Ford F-250 Pickup - Beach Responder
2004 Chevy 1500 Pickup - Beach Responder
2006 Chevy Trailblazer SS - Medical Director POV
2003 Ford Crown Vic, Police Interceptor - Medical Director
1999 Chevy Tahoe, Police Package
2004 Chevy Tahoe, ALS/BLS Fly Car
2008 Chevy Suburban - First Responder
Now out of all of these vehicles, I like my Explorers. I personally feel that Expedition and the suburban are too big for a fly car. Unless you are going to be bring 4 to 7 people in the car with you on every run they aren't necessary. Even if you were to take 4 people on a run, the explorer fits that and your gear nicely.
The Envoy/Trailblazer are nice cars, and somewhat high end for emergency response. I also find that when you are carrying a lot of equipment and some extra bodies there really is no space in these vehicles.
The Police Interceptor has lots of trunk space for a sedan. They have a lot under the hood, but lest we forget that emergency response means being cautious and quick, not getting into an accident while going to the scene. The other negative is that for a snowy environment, RWD is a real draw back.
You guys probably wont be using any type of pickup truck up there, all tho for 4wd and in crappy environments, the Ford held its own a lot more then the Chevy did. I had a lot more issues with the Chevys then the Fords.
Now as to the Tahoe. The new ones are quite nice, but they did get shortened slightly from the older models. The older models have a shitload of space and you could fit a backboard in there with no problem. The newer ones may be a challenge, but i doubt you're going to be doing any type of moving like that (since we aren't "suppose" to do anything like that )
Now from all of these things, my favorites are the Ford Explorers. As BLS responders you can have a box fitted into the back to carry all your equipment from collapsable backboards, AED/Monitor, O2 tanks, KEDs, splints, command board, radios, SCBA(for CO alarms if you go), and they run pretty good on regular gasoline.
In all seriousness, they are comfortable SUV's, the 4wd works great on snow and sand. All the newer models have advanceTrac RSC built in so it's almost impossible to make these things spin out. They have plenty of clearance off the ground to clear curbs and other things without doing damage to the underbody. Taken from personal experience I've taken mine over curbs, medians, center divides, off road, on snow, on sand.... the list goes on. In almost 28,000 miles in a year and a half, all i've done for the 07 is change the tires and change the oil and filters. This thing just takes a beating and keeps going strong. And if you think torque/pickup is an issue, believe me, you wont be disappointed.
Also, being that they are a somewhat smaller type of SUV, they will cost you a lot less to buy, esp. off state bid.
If you want any more info about any of those cars, by all means hit me with a PM.
I agree with theExplorer. 4 wheel drive when necessary and not too big. What is the Tahoe or Explorer offering with the exception of being bigger that the explorer doesn't have?
The Crown Vic is probably the best you're gonna get as a car. It has good size and quick.
Here's what i've driven and responded with:
2002 Ford Explorer - POV & ALS Fly Car
2007 Ford Explorer - POV & Command Vehicle
2001 GMC Envoy SLE - ALS/BLS Fly Car RVC
2005 Ford F-250 Pickup - Beach Responder
2004 Chevy 1500 Pickup - Beach Responder
2006 Chevy Trailblazer SS - Medical Director POV
2003 Ford Crown Vic, Police Interceptor - Medical Director
1999 Chevy Tahoe, Police Package
2004 Chevy Tahoe, ALS/BLS Fly Car
2008 Chevy Suburban - First Responder
Now out of all of these vehicles, I like my Explorers. I personally feel that Expedition and the suburban are too big for a fly car. Unless you are going to be bring 4 to 7 people in the car with you on every run they aren't necessary. Even if you were to take 4 people on a run, the explorer fits that and your gear nicely.
The Envoy/Trailblazer are nice cars, and somewhat high end for emergency response. I also find that when you are carrying a lot of equipment and some extra bodies there really is no space in these vehicles.
The Police Interceptor has lots of trunk space for a sedan. They have a lot under the hood, but lest we forget that emergency response means being cautious and quick, not getting into an accident while going to the scene. The other negative is that for a snowy environment, RWD is a real draw back.
You guys probably wont be using any type of pickup truck up there, all tho for 4wd and in crappy environments, the Ford held its own a lot more then the Chevy did. I had a lot more issues with the Chevys then the Fords.
Now as to the Tahoe. The new ones are quite nice, but they did get shortened slightly from the older models. The older models have a shitload of space and you could fit a backboard in there with no problem. The newer ones may be a challenge, but i doubt you're going to be doing any type of moving like that (since we aren't "suppose" to do anything like that )
Now from all of these things, my favorites are the Ford Explorers. As BLS responders you can have a box fitted into the back to carry all your equipment from collapsable backboards, AED/Monitor, O2 tanks, KEDs, splints, command board, radios, SCBA(for CO alarms if you go), and they run pretty good on regular gasoline.
In all seriousness, they are comfortable SUV's, the 4wd works great on snow and sand. All the newer models have advanceTrac RSC built in so it's almost impossible to make these things spin out. They have plenty of clearance off the ground to clear curbs and other things without doing damage to the underbody. Taken from personal experience I've taken mine over curbs, medians, center divides, off road, on snow, on sand.... the list goes on. In almost 28,000 miles in a year and a half, all i've done for the 07 is change the tires and change the oil and filters. This thing just takes a beating and keeps going strong. And if you think torque/pickup is an issue, believe me, you wont be disappointed.
Also, being that they are a somewhat smaller type of SUV, they will cost you a lot less to buy, esp. off state bid.
If you want any more info about any of those cars, by all means hit me with a PM.
Sparky I have to ask for my own curiosity how the F250 did and did you have to lock the hubs for optimal performance?
Thanks! I've spoken to a few people today who all seem to agree with you. Weather plays a HUGE factor in our decision as to what type of SUV's we will be purchasing (not cars). Now... How do I get my hands on two Ford Explorers...?
Sparky I have to ask for my own curiosity how the F250 did and did you have to lock the hubs for optimal performance?
The truck was awesome. It was the most reliable one we had. We had to lock the hubs everytime because you can't throw it in 4 w/o them on. But i gotta tell ya even if that was the only draw back, the thing could handle everything. I'll say this, even on sand, this thing holds its own. And as for getting stuck, even when people thought it was, just dropped it in 4 low and it didn't blink, got right back up and out. It truely was a great truck.
Thanks! I've spoken to a few people today who all seem to agree with you. Weather plays a HUGE factor in our decision as to what type of SUV's we will be purchasing (not cars). Now... How do I get my hands on two Ford Explorers...?
I got a 2002 i'll sell ya cheap with all the lights in it.
Um, in all seriousness, go to your local dealer and see if they'll play ball with you. Try and get 'em to donate them to you and say they can put their logo on it for a year or so.
Tell 'em 30,000 is all we have to spend on the trucks and we need 2 of 'em. As part of the deal we'll let you keep one in the showroom after it's been lit up and striped for 6 months, give us the other one immediately and for 1 year you can have donated by "Insert dealer name here" on the side of the 'em.
There's always ebay as well.
Last edited by SparkyOuttaBedRock : 12-04-2009 at 04:14 PM.
Call Warnok in NJ they are a NYS Bid dealer or better yet go to their website and e-mail them. They can send you prices of the vehicles with or without light/siren packages. Just so you know, the Durango is discontinued and most SUV's would have to be ordered from the factory. I just got some prices myself from them.
I think the best choice would be a tahoe. About a year ago my dept. got a new tahoe as a fly car. It came out amazing. A lot of lights, and it looks clean, not just like random lights thrown all over the place. And the box in the back is perfect for everything we needed.
When in the market for an EMS flycar you definitly want to stick with full sized SUVs like Tahoes, Suburbans, Yukons, or Expeditions. The longer wheelbased versions (Suburbans, Yukon XLs, and Expedition XLs) will handle a little better in that they don't feel like they are pitching backward and forward when driven hard, however you will sacrifice turning radius and parkability in more urban areas. One thing you may want to consider is, if you have rural areas that may need to be accessed by a four wheel drive vehicle only, you may want to consider cabinetry that will allow you to transport a patient on a backboard or a folding litter to an area where they can be transferred to an ambulance. There are companies that specialize in such cabinetry, the premire being Odyssey Automotive in New Jersey. They are expensive, but their workmanship is top notch and their reputation for quality if pretty much unsurpassed. http://www.odysseyauto.com/ I've also seen some custom work by Firematic Supply in which they use aluminum to build the cabinetry, very nice and very light, don't know how long it would last, but the weight savings is a very attractive plus. http://firematic.com/
When in the market for an EMS flycar you definitly want to stick with full sized SUVs like Tahoes, Suburbans, Yukons, or Expeditions.
Stack, i will have to agree to disagree with you lol. but i will say i do like those tahoes that the NYS, NCPD, FPD, etc. have. Having gotten a couple rides in them on the beach they were quite spacious and felt very nice on uneven terrain and fit backboards without a problem, but the explorer & maybe even the trailblazer(havent driven one in awhile), handles off-road just as well and can fit a backboard just as well. I/M/H/O. I prefer the shorter wheel base and my 'exploders' better. You make valid points, and i know that you have a lot more time in the game then i probably ever will. so in short i'm going to have to respectfully disagree with you.
The truck was awesome. It was the most reliable one we had. We had to lock the hubs everytime because you can't throw it in 4 w/o them on. But i gotta tell ya even if that was the only draw back, the thing could handle everything. I'll say this, even on sand, this thing holds its own. And as for getting stuck, even when people thought it was, just dropped it in 4 low and it didn't blink, got right back up and out. It truely was a great truck.
Ah, I only lock my hubs for 4Low. I tried taking my truck on the beach once when I first got it. It was almost a very expensive experiment. Foot in and front end sank like a rock in a pond.
Ah, I only lock my hubs for 4Low. I tried taking my truck on the beach once when I first got it. It was almost a very expensive experiment. Foot in and front end sank like a rock in a pond.
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