I love the chevy 4500 ambulance!!!

[paramedichopeful]

This weekend I got to see a new Chevy C4500 Med. Duty with a Traumahawk (once again my favorite word) mod on it. I went to go get a haircut in prep for my first day of EMT class and find some apparel for off-time. i was in a town about 50 mile away from where I live and was trying to find the mall when I drove by the FD. once I saw what was sitting in the driveway, it took maybe 3 seconds to cross 4 lanes and park myself in the FD's lot. 3 guys were outside washing THE BIGGEST ambulance I have ever seen. I started up there when one of them goes, "Can I help you?". i said, "Oh, I was just driving by and seen this thing out here and just had to check it out". They said, "Well we're the main crew that runs the unit, so if you have any questions just ask us." I ended up socializing for about half an hour before I had the guts to ask them if I could look in the back. When that door swung open, the brightest lights you've ever seen kicked on and flooded the whole back of the ambulance. I was hoping to "get up in there" and look at every inch of it, and it must've showed because they gave me a first rate tour of everything on the unit. After I'd been at the FD for about 2 hours, I decided I'd better go, so I said goodbye to everyone and thanked them for their time. We swapped myspace ID's and are going to create a myspace group just for EMS pros.

So I got a lot out of that. I made some new friends and got to lay on the stretcher in the bck of the Incredible Hulk's ambulance. I loved how it was set up; just perfect for freakish-ly tall people like me, with everything within reach of the pt. area. And I am going to permanently mount a camera in my truck so that I can always get some pics of the stuff I see. Why is it that the best crap always happens when your camera is at home on the kitchen counter?!

 

[Cory]

Yea, the local township FD that patrols all the main streets in my city has about 20-30 of these. I see them non-stop now. They are really nice, but I think the mirrors are kind of ugly. Other than that they are real beauties.

You oughta get a picture sometime

 

[Dominion]

Are these the ones that have the airride suspension? You have to flick the switch in the back to get em to come down? A local firedepartment uses a similar Chasis I guess, it's a GMC something or other that looks really close to what you said the C4500 was. It's a center mount, really tall and has a good lay out for stuff. But the actual vehicle itself is a pile of junk. They've had nothing but trouble out of them since getting them. They run two full time trucks and probably 60% of the time one of them is in the shop.

Terrible ride in the back too.

 

[emtbill]

And I am going to permanently mount a camera in my truck so that I can always get some pics of the stuff I see.

Don't do that. It has potential HIPPA violations written all over it.

 

[karaya]

Don't do that. It has potential HIPPA violations written all over it.

It's HIPAA. And I think he was talking about his personal vehicle.

 

[medichopeful]

The town I live in has one of these (I think. Or at least, VERY similar). Nice looking ambulance. I got a tour of it from my local FD when I went over to them from the PD to get the rundown on everything.

 

[Sail195]

My service just replaced both of their ambulances over the past year with these and there awesome

 

[Sasha]

Ford ambulance trump chevy ambulances.

 

[Aidey]

I just googled a picture of it, and good grief that is a HUGE ambulance. I would not want to drive that monster in city traffic.

 

[Epi-do]

Now, don't get too jealous, paramedichopeful, but here is my ride every third day...

I do have to agree with whoever made the comment about them being in the shop more often then they are on the road though. That has certainly been true of the three that we have, at least initially. Mine is the oldest of the three and I think they finally have all of the bugs worked out. They tend to sway alot more than the smaller trucks, but I absolutely LOVE the turning radius. We have an ER that 99.9% of the trucks in the city have to make a 3 point turn out of the bay. This is the only truck I have ever seen, or driven, that can make that turn without having to back up. It is truly amazing for a vehicle that large. Ours doesn't seem to ride that bad though, when you compare it to other things that are out on the road.

 

[Cory]

I'm jealous. But again, those mirrors are so ugly. I mean, in this picture they don't really stabd out, but in the road they are very noticeable... and huge

 

[Epi-do]

I'm jealous. But again, those mirrors are so ugly. I mean, in this picture they don't really stabd out, but in the road they are very noticeable... and huge

They might be big and ugly, but I actually like them. I can see so much more in them than in the smaller mirrors you see on the smaller trucks. While there are countless reasons why I hate going into our reserves, one of the big ones is I have grown to hate those "little" mirrors.

 

[Sail195]

Ford ambulance trump chevy ambulances.

Sasha you just went down a few notches in my book with that comment lol

Ford= fix or repair daily or found on road dead


taker your pick lol... Ill take a chevy anyyyyyyyyyy day lol

 

[Sasha]

Sasha you just went down a few notches in my book with that comment lol

Ford= fix or repair daily or found on road dead


taker your pick lol... Ill take a chevy anyyyyyyyyyy day lol

My old company had ford and chevys. The chevys would be in the shop more often. Our oldest ford was 312k miles on it still going strong while chevys with way less mileage was breaking down every week it seemed. Fords also have a better ride.

It really sucked to be on a long distance transport about two hours away and have your truck break down. Happened to me twice, once we had just dropped off a patient, once we were about a block away from the facility and just pushed the patient the rest of the way, then waited for a tow truck to come from our area alllll the way out to us, and then have to sit in a cramped cab with a socially awkward tow truck driver for two hours.

 

[Sail195]

My old company had ford and chevys. The chevys would be in the shop more often. Our oldest ford was 312k miles on it still going strong while chevys with way less mileage was breaking down every week it seemed. Fords also have a better ride.

It really sucked to be on a long distance transport about two hours away and have your truck break down. Happened to me twice, once we had just dropped off a patient, once we were about a block away from the facility and just pushed the patient the rest of the way, then waited for a tow truck to come from our area alllll the way out to us, and then have to sit in a cramped cab with a socially awkward tow truck driver for two hours.

Oh man thats noooo fun... I am still sticking to my guns tho chevy is better lol

 

[Sasha]

Oh man thats noooo fun... I am still sticking to my guns tho chevy is better lol

Chevy is only better for people who've never ridden in a real ambulance.

 

[Sail195]

Chevy is only better for people who've never ridden in a real ambulance.

hahahaha I have driven many many for and chevy front ends when I worked for the bus company (prob the sweetest college Job every btw) and I would by no stretch of the imagination call a ford a superior vehicle lol

 

[medichopeful]

Chevy is only better for people who've never ridden in a real ambulance.

Oh snap!

 

[Dominion]

I don't work for this service but have just seem them operating while visiting. These are the trucks that they use in Lexington, Ky for the LFD. I THINK they're internationals but whatever they are they are freaking huge. Bigger than the C4500.

 

[redcrossemt]

Chevy is only better for people who've never ridden in a real ambulance.

In the world of private EMS and vans, the Chevys are awful. About half the leg room of the Fords. Entirely awful for backs, necks, and generally painful to sit in for any period of time. I am lucky to be based out of a station and usually sitting in the back when we're driving for any length of time. It's broken down many times, and been in the shop for about as many days as it's been in service. The turning radius is okay, but the sway and roll is ridiculous compared to the Ford vans.

I do like BIG Chevy trucks better, though.