AEV built this Type 1 Traumahawk X series ambulance on a Ford F-550 cab and 4×4 chassis for the Summit (IL) Fire Department. (Photos courtesy of American Response Vehicles.)
The Summit (IL) Fire Department covers a 2.2-square-mile village in Cook County that includes a large industrial park and long sections of Interstate 55 for fire and emergency medical services (EMS) from a single station with paid firefighters and paramedics who run one pumper and two Type 1 ambulances. One of its two ambulances was a dozen years old and getting outdated, so the department decided to update the rig with a new Type 1.
Stephanie Cole, Summit Fire lieutenant and EMS coordinator, says that historically the village had supplied the department with a new ambulance about every seven years, so it adopted a seven-year rotation schedule for ambulance replacement, which meant getting a new rig to take over for its 2011 rig.
Summit’s new rig is a door-forward design with Liquid Spring front and rear suspensions.
“We were relying on that ambulance, which was outdated and had seen heavy service over a lot of rough streets with quite a bit of stop-and-go maneuvering,” Cole points out. “So, we looked at many of the ambulances in neighboring departments and then went to FDIC to check out all of the brands that were available. We decided to purchase an American Emergency Vehicles (AEV) Type 1 because the rig was so customizable to our needs.”
Cole notes that Summit had a number of specific features that it wanted on a new rig, including a door-forward design in the patient module; Liquid Spring front and rear suspensions; a 72-inch squad bench to be able to handle a backboard, which is a state of Illinois requirement; and a tall, full-depth compartment on the curbside to hold gear for two firefighters. “We got all that and more from AEV with our new Type 1,” Cole observes.
The new AEV Type 1 for Summit has an Arctic Wedge condenser system and an Opticom traffic signal preemption system.
Josh Walk, Illinois regional sales manager for American Response Vehicles (ARV), who sold the AEV Type 1 to Summit, says the rig is a Traumahawk X Series Type 1 ambulance that emphasizes medic and patient safety and comfort among its many features. “It’s built on a Ford F-550 two-door cab and 4×4 chassis with a 193-inch wheelbase powered by a Ford 6.7-liter V8 turbocharged diesel engine,” Walk says, “and has a 176-inch-long and 96-inch-wide patient module with 72 inches of headroom and an 18,000-pound gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR).”
Walk notes that the Summit firefighters spent a lot of time discussing the customization of their rig. “Everyone wanted to be sure that the elements that went into the truck would maximize patient and medic safety and improve patient care,” he says. “They liked the door forward demo model that we showed them, and because of their many rugged roads, they added Liquid Spring front and rear suspensions to the rig.”
Summit firefighters do a push-in of the new ambulance.
In customizing the Type 1, Cole says AEV removed the interior cabinet to the side of the CPR seat to allow the curbside exterior compartment to be extended vertically and become full depth. “We are able to keep two full sets of turnout gear, two self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA), and a set of irons in that compartment for firefighters who could be staffing the rig,” she points out.
Walk says that some of the X Series rig’s exterior features include a fully crash-tested aluminum body structure, seamless door jambs and doors, a one way compartment venting system, a flip-up rear bumper with an illuminated rear step, electric blackout privacy windows, power door locks with keyless push button pads, custom cab running boards, an Arctic Wedge condenser system, and an Opticom traffic signal preemption system.
Firefighters, city officials, and firehouse dog “Lola” in front of the new rig.
Features inside the rig, Walk adds, include aluminum composite cabinetry with solid core countertops, powder coated antimicrobial cabinet interiors, restocking cabinets with sliding Lexan frames, full insulation in the module’s walls and floor for sound deadening and temperature control, a custom LX1 multiplexed electrical system, and a Stryker PowerLOAD and PowerPRO II cot.
Seating inside the patient module for the medics includes an EVS Tri-BAC Safety Seat that incorporates a child and infant seat into the attendant’s seat, a CPR seat centered on the interior streetside wall, and dual squad bench positions on the curbside interior, all protected by IMMI Per4Max four-point seat belt harnesses.
Exterior lighting on the new Summit ambulance includes Whelen M6 series LED emergency lighting, LED skirt rails and ground lighting, LED rear chevron lighting, and TecNiq LED door open low profile warning lighting.Walk says that lighting on the Summit Type 1 Traumahawk includes Whelen M6 series LED emergency lighting, Whelen M5 LED compartment lighting, LED skirt rails and ground lighting, LED rear chevron lighting, TecNiq LED door open low-profile warning lighting, a ceiling-mounted Halo LED light rail system, and LED Day-Bright lighting in the interior cabinets.
Cole notes that Summit’s firefighters and paramedics especially like the Liquid Spring suspensions on the new rig. “It’s like driving a Cadillac,” she says.
ALAN M. PETRILLO is a Tucson, Arizona-based journalist who has served as a newspaper reporter, editor, and magazine writer and is a member of the Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment Advisory Board. He served 22 years with the Verdoy (NY) Fire Department, including in the position of chief.
