Worst Ambulance and Fire Truck Thread:

irsa76

Member
May 24, 2010
342
Australia, NSW
Torpedo said:
Found this on line.
56549d1374758157t-worst-ambulance-fire-truck-thread-vw-fire-truck.jpg
VW used them in their plant.
 

Wailer

Member
May 24, 2010
2,294
Canada
Skip Goulet said:
If I remember correctly, and it's been more than 30 yrs since I've seen the Easterling trucks....theirs had a Twinsonic over the cab and a 184 on the hightop.

That would be even better yet.
 

lafd55

Member
May 27, 2010
2,393
New York, USA
Now there is two sides to this, yes it's a sweet looking tanker, but the color scheme is awful.


ai619.photobucket.com_albums_tt272_lafd55_IMG_20130804_112748_zps862bef29.jpg
 

Skip Goulet

Member
Feb 23, 2011
4,241
Midland, TX
lafd55 said:
Now there is two sides to this, yes it's a sweet looking tanker, but the color scheme is awful.
ai619.photobucket.com_albums_tt272_lafd55_IMG_20130804_112748_zps862bef29.jpg

Midland Fire Dept ran this color scheme a few years back, and a few of the older trucks still have it. Thankfully they've gone back to red trucks. The Lovington, NM FD had that color on their ambulances years ago.....terrible!
 
Apr 28, 2013
337
New York/Mass
DefianceEngineCompany said:
i geuss they did this to support a good cause but damn.......... it hurts my eyes

There is no excuse for that hideous colour scheme.. That's honestly very distracting, as a motorist driving by that at an accident.. no. Just no.


Please put back a normal color scheme!
 

FireEMSPolice

Member
May 21, 2010
3,429
Ohio
proudfirefighter said:
There is no excuse for that hideous colour scheme.. That's honestly very distracting, as a motorist driving by that at an accident.. no. Just no.
Please put back a normal color scheme!

If I was a taxpayer in their district, I would be mad as hell at that scheme. What a waste of money and multiple apparatus. I can see one painted for a cause, but an entire fleet??


Album 8 « Gallery 10 « Photos | Snowmass-Wildcat Fire Protection District


What "cause" warrants this color scheme???


EDIT: Never mind, found it: Aspen-Snowmass Fire and Rescue Project and Portraits of Hope Aspen-Snowmass | 5280FIRE
 

Wailer

Member
May 24, 2010
2,294
Canada
proudfirefighter said:
There is no excuse for that hideous colour scheme. Please put back a normal color scheme!

FireEMSPolice said:
If I was a taxpayer in their district, I would be mad as hell at that scheme. What a waste of money and multiple apparatus.

If it's only temporary, I wouldn't bitch about it.
 

PJD642

New Member
May 20, 2010
1,543
east of Cleveland
Sorta off topic, but I clicked on the link for the Pitkin Sheriff's office...the one guy on the left in the photo couldn't even be bothered to roll down his sleeves for the picture? Christ.
 
May 21, 2010
1,030
LKN, NC
Liberty703 said:
I think I beat that Ross Corner truck...

Ok, I have to ask...what is wrong with the commercial cab-over chassis? They're smaller than a custom cab, but with the same maneuverability benefits.
 

pdk9

Member
May 26, 2010
3,834
New York & Florida
lafd55 said:
Now there is two sides to this, yes it's a sweet looking tanker, but the color scheme is awful.
ai619.photobucket.com_albums_tt272_lafd55_IMG_20130804_112748_zps862bef29.jpg

Really? I personally like it a LOT! Aside from the badass factor of being a tandem axle tanker, I think the gray & black hints spice it up well, as opposed to the plain lime green with white 4" stripes; I think this should be in the best/favorites thread. Cortlandville, just north of Ithaca NY, did a mix of line green & black, and I thought it also looked sweet.


The only thing I don't like about it is what appears to be a space for 2 cross lays right behind the cab; they don't appear to be slide-out trays & that space is tight as f@#k, so I wouldn't want to be the one having to re-rack lines on this tanker
 
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pdk9

Member
May 26, 2010
3,834
New York & Florida
Wailer said:
If it's only temporary, I wouldn't bitch about it.

It doesn't matter if it's temporary; it only takes one accident to prove why it's not a good idea to have emergency vehicles looking like Ben & Jerry delivery trucks as they respond
 

7d9_z28

New Member
Mar 15, 2012
3,048
West Michigan
pdk9 said:
It doesn't matter if it's temporary; it only takes one accident to prove why it's not a good idea to have emergency vehicles looking like Ben & Jerry delivery trucks as they respond

Isn't the goal to be noticed?


Be it a Ben and Jerry lightbar or paintjob, it will get noticed.
 

Skip Goulet

Member
Feb 23, 2011
4,241
Midland, TX
pdk9 said:
It doesn't matter if it's temporary; it only takes one accident to prove why it's not a good idea to have emergency vehicles looking like Ben & Jerry delivery trucks as they respond

I agree! There's too much that distracts people as it is. Years ago an ambulance from the small town of Iraan (pronounced Ira-Ann), was making a run into Odessa with a serious patient from an MVA. A police escort picked up the ambulance, and at one main intersection the cop got through but the ambulance got hit. The guy who hit the ambulance admitted that he was so busy watching the cop running hot that he never saw the ambulance. Same thing happened in Lubbock. Lubbock FD units were responding down 19th St. which runs right by the Texas Tech campus on a structure fire. There was a batt. chief leading followed by a booster truck and the engine bringing up the rear. At 19th & Boston, the engine was hit by a small car with two people inside. One died at the scene. The driver, who survived, admitted that she was watching the chief and booster running and never saw the engine. A couple of guys on the engine were also hurt.
 
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Liberty703

Member
Dec 11, 2012
268
Maine
vonirkinshtine said:
Ok, I have to ask...what is wrong with the commercial cab-over chassis? They're smaller than a custom cab, but with the same maneuverability benefits.
Overseas built chassis, limited (low horsepower) engine choices, hard egress, low bid builds, most painted ugly colors...
 

Tristar

Member
May 24, 2010
899
MA
Check out the department name on the side of the truck: FEDERAL AVIATION AGENCY. This was the name of the agency that later became the Federal Aviation Administration. It was created in 1958, and renamed to its current name in 1966. Why do I feel like Cliff Clavin??? Uh oh...I live an hour from Boston!
 

7d9_z28

New Member
Mar 15, 2012
3,048
West Michigan
Skip Goulet said:
As big as that damned thing is, I don't think anyone would get in their way....light or no light! I don't see a siren either.

Theres a speaker hanging from the roof, between the windshields. And theres more lights on the roof :undecided:
 

irsa76

Member
May 24, 2010
342
Australia, NSW
Tender 1 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!


See if you can find the lights on my local airport fire tenders. Trust me, seeing one of those brutes coming down the road towards you, even NOT running code, is enough to make you get out of the way real quick! Left wheels on the fog line, right wheels on the OTHER side of the center line!
 

JazzDad

Member
Aug 5, 2011
5,165
USA
irsa76 said:
Tender 1 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
See if you can find the lights on my local airport fire tenders. Trust me, seeing one of those brutes coming down the road towards you, even NOT running code, is enough to make you get out of the way real quick! Left wheels on the fog line, right wheels on the OTHER side of the center line!

Yet they painted "Oversize" on it. :duh:
 

Wailer

Member
May 24, 2010
2,294
Canada
Skip Goulet said:
I spotted one amber and one red beacon and the two little red light in front. Did I miss anything else? I noticed the CP speaker. What does it have for siren?

I notice that airport fire engines typically use electronic sirens.
 

bunnyfurr

Member
Aug 29, 2010
150
WA
Wailer said:
I notice that airport fire engines typically use electronic sirens.

Well if your friends with the shop mechanic and give him a couple cases of his favorite brew he may hook a Q for you. Just saying it's been done
 

JennyCop

Member
Jan 19, 2012
2,021
Sunny Arizona
1975 Chevrolet Care-o-van by Wayne


This agency needed to learn that sometimes less is more! Talk about the electrical overload this thing must have had. What would you guess the amp draw was on this thing? Using the A/C and headlights must have been forbidden on this rig!


Warning equipment included: dual #184 beacons, the usual perimeter/tunnel lighting,a PA-20A with dual CP25s speakers, a Twinsonic with dual TS-24 speakers, a Twin Beacon ray, a North American electronic siren, a Q2B, and grille lights.

Area%20Care-O-Van_001.jpg
 

Skip Goulet

Member
Feb 23, 2011
4,241
Midland, TX
JennyCop said:
1975 Chevrolet Care-o-van by Wayne

This agency needed to learn that sometimes less is more! Talk about the electrical overload this thing must have had. What would you guess the amp draw was on this thing? Using the A/C and headlights must have been forbidden on this rig!


Warning equipment included: dual #184 beacons, the usual perimeter/tunnel lighting,a PA-20A with dual CP25s speakers, a Twinsonic with dual TS-24 speakers, a Twin Beacon ray, a North American electronic siren, a Q2B, and grille lights.

The only thing I would remove from this one would be the Twinsonic. The VisiBar is just fine along with the Q and tunnel lights; and the 184s are nice for the hightop part of the van.


Is this still around, Jen? If so, where???


The Q and the N.A. are just fine together: we've done that ourselves and the North American on "Riot" backed up by the Q is awesome! While the VisiBar looks o.k.where it is, I've never been a big proponent of them. Just the Q, the speakers and the 184s along with the tunnels would do just fine.
 

JennyCop

Member
Jan 19, 2012
2,021
Sunny Arizona
rick h. said:
Forget the Ambulance ^^^^^^^^^^ ,I would like to have all of the Lights and Sirens for My collection
Right!!???

Skip Goulet said:
Is this still around, Jen? If so, where???
lol! :hahano: Skip, you and I both know that if I knew where it was I would not be sharing it's location! :weird: I would be ratcheting away at the equipment as quick as possible! :yes: I am sure you'd understand. ;) I don't know where this was taken or if the Ambulance is still around. It is just a pic I found online.
 

Skip Goulet

Member
Feb 23, 2011
4,241
Midland, TX
JennyCop said:
Right!!???

lol! :hahano: Skip, you and I both know that if I knew where it was I would not be sharing it's location! :weird: I would be ratcheting away at the equipment as quick as possible! :yes: I am sure you'd understand. ;) I don't know where this was taken or if the Ambulance is still around. It is just a pic I found online.

Easterling Funeral Home in Odessa ran a pair of these units in the '70s not long after they took over the place. They were similar to the Care-O-Van that's at the first of this thread. A private ambulance co. bought the two and used them for a long time and then gave them (grrrrrr) to a small town in Mexico.
 

irsa76

Member
May 24, 2010
342
Australia, NSW
JennyCop said:
1975 Chevrolet Care-o-van by Wayne

This agency needed to learn that sometimes less is more! Talk about the electrical overload this thing must have had. What would you guess the amp draw was on this thing? Using the A/C and headlights must have been forbidden on this rig!


Warning equipment included: dual #184 beacons, the usual perimeter/tunnel lighting,a PA-20A with dual CP25s speakers, a Twinsonic with dual TS-24 speakers, a Twin Beacon ray, a North American electronic siren, a Q2B, and grille lights.

I measured the current draw of a local VW Ambulance a few years ago, MX700 halogen/strobe light bar, halogen grill lights, HLF and a pair of halogen rotators on the rear of the roof, 360amps without the siren! It peaked at over 450amps with the all the emergency gear on, headlights on high beam with the aux driving lights and foglights on and the A/C running!
 

Jarred J.

Lifetime VIP Donor
May 21, 2010
11,586
Shelbyville, TN
irsa76 said:
I measured the current draw of a local VW Ambulance a few years ago, MX700 halogen/strobe light bar, halogen grill lights, HLF and a pair of halogen rotators on the rear of the roof, 360amps without the siren! It peaked at over 450amps with the all the emergency gear on, headlights on high beam with the aux driving lights and foglights on and the A/C running!

what was the siren ive never heard of a 70amp siren and your figures are probably in watts... most car batteries are only 70- 90 amp hours...
 

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