Horton Emergency Vehicles built two identical Type 1 ambulances on Ford F-550 4×4 chassis and two-door cabs for Bixby (OK) Fire Department. (Photos courtesy of Bixby Fire Department.)
By Alan M. Petrillo
The Bixby (OK) Fire Department began ambulance service under the department’s auspices beginning earlier this year and needed two ambulances to provide the necessary level of service for its residents. The department chose Horton Emergency Vehicles to build two new rigs that were customized to its particular needs in order to accomplish that initiative.
“We cover 25-square miles of the city of Bixby and an additional 50-square miles of unincorporated rural areas that have quite a number of large residences, in the 5,000- to 6,000-square foot range,” says Joe Sherrell, Bixby’s chief. “We run a combination department with 45 paid firefighters and some volunteers operating from two fire stations. We knew we were starting the ambulance service January 1, so we trained our firefighters as emergency medical technicians (EMTs), and now four of them are paramedics.”
The two Horton Type 1 rigs have Horton’s 623 aluminum body that’s 173-inches long, with 74-inches of headroom.
Sherrell notes that the department knew they would need at least two ambulances to get the program started, so Bixby representatives traveled to the five manufacturers of ambulances that encompassed seven brands, toured their plants and saw their rigs, and after consideration, chose Horton as its ambulance builder. “We decided on Horton because they are the safest rigs for both medics and patients,” Sherrell says. “Plus, their ambulances have very good quality construction, and we were able to customize them to fit our specific needs.”
The Bixby rigs use the Stryker Power-LOAD and Power Pro XT cot system.
Dave Marshall, Horton’s director of sales, says the identical rigs for Bixby are built on a Ford F-550 4×4 chassis and two-door cab, with Horton’s 623 aluminum body that’s 173-inches long, powered by a 6.7-liter gasoline engine. Marshall points out that Bixby went with 74-inches of headroom in the patient module, two inches higher than the standard box, as well as the door forward design, which Horton calls the crash barrier safety design.
Marshall notes that the Bixby Horton Type 1s have the Horton Occupant Protection System (HOPS), which include MBrace that integrates an airbag into the Per4Max multi-point restraint allowing medical providers mobility and freedom to work while staying belted in, progressive resistant cushions that prevent the head from bottoming out on the cushion, and three roll protection air bags, two tube style to prevent the upper body and head from moving under the cabinets, and an air curtain in the action area.
The interior of the patient module is protected by the Horton Occupant Protection System.
The rig also has a Zico oxygen tank electric lift in the front left compartment, a Vanner LifeSine inverter, an anti-theft system, an Opticom traffic warning system, inventory control and restocking cabinetry, Whelen LED emergency lighting, recessed red interior LED floor lighting, red LED strip lighting in the cabinets, Vista step lighting, and Whelen Pioneer PF22 LED flood/scene lights on the front and sides of the box.
Troy Miceli, senior vice president at SERVS, who sold the Hortons to Bixby, adds that the rigs have the Cool Tech 100,000-British thermal unit (BTU) air condenser with a secondary air conditioning condenser to enhance the cooling package, a six-inch drop skirt on both sides of the box, all electronics embedded in the forward wall of the patient box to free up cabinet space to the side of the attendant’s seat, a rigid barrier of an advanced life support (ALS) cabinet at the head of the squad bench between the bench and the curb side door, and solid surface countertops.
Bixby Fire Department began ambulance services under the department’s auspices on January 1 of this year, covering a total of 75-square miles.
“The Bixby Type 1s have a Norcold refrigerator and an IV warmer in the space behind the attendant’s seat,” Miceli points out, “backlit door handles, ambient lighting the length of the module’s seat risers, inside and outside access in the curb side rear compartment, a custom front bumper with air horns mounted in it, and flush mounted rear chevron LED strip lighting that operates when the emergency lights are flashing, and also work in normal operation as brake and turn signal lights.”
ALAN M. PETRILLO is a Tucson, Arizona-based journalist, the author of three novels and five nonfiction books, and a member of the Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment Editorial Advisory Board. He served 22 years with the Verdoy (NY) Fire Department, including in the position of chief.
