New ambulance for Bloomingdale FPD « chicagoareafire.com

New ambulance for Bloomingdale FPD

New bloomingdale fire ambulance

Bloomingdale FPD Board of Trustees meeting minutes 2021

click to download

thanks Tim

Tags: Bloomingdale Fire Protection District, Bloomingdale FPD Board of Trustees meeting minutes 2021, new ambulance for Bloomingdale FPD

This entry was posted on January 30, 2021, 8:00 PM and is filed under Fire Department News. You can follow any responses to this entry through RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

13 Comments

#1 by Mike C on February 4, 2021 - 7:04 AM

Hairy mentioned KW. I’m certainly not opposed to KW, in fact, I think they make great quality product but KW is a terrible option for ambulances. There is no room in their cabs.
#2 by Mike C on February 1, 2021 - 7:28 PM

Correct, Hairy – The whole cab on an F series is removed which isn’t a big deal. It looks more in-depth than it really is. International has more accessibility but you can remove the cabs multiple times on a Ford F series before paying the difference of an International or Freightliner initial cost. I can’t remember the price difference between the F-series and the International but I think it’s in the range of $60,000. Feel free for anyone to chime in with confirmation/correction on my guess.

Not that International or Freightliner parts are hard to come across but Ford is easier.

I don’t have exact numbers readily available but overall Ford maintenance is lower than International maintenance. I’m certainly not bashing one brand over the other, I just don’t see the medium duty chassis’ to be cost effective.
#3 by harry on February 1, 2021 - 6:02 PM

mike c from what rosemont and westmont are saying is diesel f series u have to remove the whole cab if you have to get to something that u cant from under the hood as oppose to ihc fl kw u can take the whole hood and grill off to get to everything while i still prefer the f series
#4 by Mike C on February 1, 2021 - 9:24 AM

Mike – The E450 V10 worked great. Does Ford even offer the E-450 in the V10 any longer? Good engine but a total gas guzzler. In terms of longevity, I’d say it’s hit or miss. I rebuilt a Ford V10 with about 200,000 miles on it. The issue is, ambulances have an insane amount of idle time which is where the diesel comes into benefit. Many departments don’t want to deal with the DEF so this is where gas may come to benefit them. In my honest opinion, I think the F-450 and F-550 diesel offers the best value, and I’m not even a Ford guy. Longevity and decent fuel mileage comes with the F-450 or F-550. I’m not sure the F-550 is even worth the additional expense on an ambulance. The F-450 rear axle is handles pretty much all ambulance bodies without an issue.

Many departments are opting for the 4×4 F-450 or F-550 which in the Chicagoland, I’m not sure this is worth the additional $4,000 +/-. I like the higher ride height of the 4×4 chassis but fuel mileage is decreased and maintenance is increased. The 2 or 3 snowstorms per year that are somewhat substantial don’t warrant the additional costs or maintenance in my opinion.
#5 by ttguy on February 1, 2021 - 9:15 AM

Another point to make. The chassis choice is often heavily influenced by the department’s maintenance staff, not necessarily the blue shirts operating the units every day. Right, wrong or indifferent, whatever chassis works out best for each department is an individual decision. To an earlier comment, there are many costs associated with running a fire department or district that may not be entirely sustainable in the future, not just the cost of an ambulance. Could there be a day when a commercial chassis option is more widely approved over the cost of a custom chassis due to the UPFRONT cost savings? I suppose anything is possible.
#6 by ttguy on February 1, 2021 - 8:56 AM

One thing that often isn’t revealed when you simply see a number such as this is what ancillary equipment and/or services are involved and included in the sale. Power Loads, cots (plus extended warranties on each), cardiac monitors and monitor brackets, radios and installation, MDTs and mounts, thermal imaging cameras, various hand tools, multiple Streamlights, 4 or more personnel on an overnight inspection trip – sometimes more than one trip, thousands of dollars in lettering, striping, graphics, etc. All these things add up rather quickly. Many ambulances are delivered in a manner which allows the customer to simply transfer loose equipment from an existing unit, submit to/pass the required inspections, and away they go.
#7 by Mike on February 1, 2021 - 8:43 AM

Mike C. I agree with you on the cost savings part. Diesels are diesels. What is your opinion and experience with an E450 gas ambulance? The savings on purchasing is worth looking into and with all the emissions on diesels the MPG is probably close.
#8 by Mike C on February 1, 2021 - 7:59 AM

I personally don’t think the International or Freightliner chassis is cost effective. The F-450 or F-550 is substantially less expensive and they last just as long if they’re properly maintained.
#9 by harry on January 31, 2021 - 11:35 PM

mike 290 000 maybe for ihc but fp new e series was about 150 000 and as for long life for an ambulance tea neck nj has a 1989 frontline /reserve all 5 they have rotate they have a 1989 gmc 2 older freightliner and 1 2008 fl and a 2015 fl soon the 89 will be gone i think they said it has like several hundred thousands miles on it
#10 by Austin on January 31, 2021 - 4:17 PM

I wonder if you will start seeing more departments doing remounts instead of buying a new ambo, so they can get more life out of it. It already seems like its becoming a bit more popular in recent years.
#11 by FFPM571 on January 31, 2021 - 2:49 PM

I know of a department that is on a 5 year plan for Medic Units.. 5 years front line 5 years reserve sold/ traded in at 10 and get decent money they usually have under 75K miles and are in very good shape and professionally maintained
#12 by Michael m on January 31, 2021 - 1:57 PM

Agreed that is insane for ambulances. I also don’t think 15-20 is realistic given how much ambulances are used 7 years would be the most realistic, that is even pushing it. Ambulance 23 is 8 years old. That’s more than likely going to be the best most departments/ districts can do. Engines, those you cold go 15 years easily, ambulances not so much.
#13 by Mike on January 31, 2021 - 10:28 AM

290,000.00 for an ambulance now, good lord… that is insane. Even with the auto load system and a bee cot which that adds 40-45,000.00 I think we are going to start seeing departments changing their apparatus longevity plans to keeping an ambulance 15-20 years now. Most fire department/ district budgets will not be able to sustain the constant rising costs of apparatus replacement. Even with a very good maintenance program this seems unachievable.