By Alan M. Petrillo
Ashland (WI) Fire Department sits on the south shore of Lake Superior, covering the city of Ashland with 8,000 residents and six surrounding townships for a total of 400 square miles. Ashland operates out of one station with 21 full-time paid firefighter/paramedics and five firefighter/emergency medical technicians (EMTs) running a Rosenbauer pumper, a CustomFIRE pumper, a 100-foot Sutphen aerial platform, a CustomFIRE 4,000-gallon pumper-tanker, a Midwest Fire Ford F-550 brush truck, a hazardous materials trailer, a 27-foot fire-rescue boat, two Road Rescue front-line ambulances, three reserve ambulances, and one Ford F-150 paramedic intercept vehicle.
Ashland’s Type 1 Ultramedic has the door-forward design on the curbside of the rig.
Stuart Matthias, Ashland Fire’s chief, says the department has a vehicle replacement schedule that replaces an ambulance after 10 years of front-line service, but that the rig which needed replacement got pushed off for another three years. “It was a Road Rescue Ford F-450 that was originally set up as an intercity transfer ambulance,” Matthias observes. “But, it really needed to be replaced with a new, up-to-date rig.”
Kurt Blakeman, Ashland Fire’s captain, points out that the department wanted to upgrade the chassis on its new ambulance to four-wheel drive capability, and were also desiring to have a Liquid Spring rear suspension, instead of a standard leaf suspension like on their F-450. “The LiquidSpring suspension will give our staff and patients a much better ride,” he says. Also, he notes, the department’s two front-line ambulances are diesel-powered, while the three reserve ambulances are gasoline-powered. “We thought we would go with a gasoline engine on the new ambulance because it would serve us well and be about $10,000 cheaper.”
Ashland had Road Rescue install SCBA brackets in the L2 and L3 compartments for firefighter SCBA air packs. The compartments also hold firefighter turnout gear.
Holly Russell, brand manager for Road Rescue Emergency Vehicles, says the rig Road Rescue built for Ashland is a Type 1 Ultramedic on a Ford F-550 two-door cab and 4×4 chassis, with a 170-inch patient module and a door-forward design on the curbside, powered by a 7.3-liter V-8 gasoline engine. It has a LiquidSpring rear suspension.
The interior of the Road Rescue Type 1 has dual seating positions on the squad bench.
She points out that the Ashland Ultramedic has black painted wheels, side windows on both the streetside and curbside, a 5-inch drop skirt on each side of the rig, a Smart Display electrical system, and a CoolBar external air condenser.
The Type 1 has Road Rescue’s Comfort Bright LED dome lighting.
Blakeman notes that the Type 1 Ultramedic, which was funded through an Assistance to Firefighters Grant, has an AliArc heavy-duty front bumper, a Whelen Howler siren, a Tomar traffic control system, and self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) brackets in the L2 and L3 compartments, which also have space for firefighter turnout gear.
The Ashland Ultramedic has a custom configuration CPR seat (at right).
Russell adds that the interior of the patient module is set up to handle a Stryker PowerLOAD and PowerCOT system, has Comfort Bright™ LED dome lighting, high rear and side door handles, and an expanded attendant’s seat, two seats on the squad bench, and a custom configuration CPR seat, all protected by Per4Max four-point harnesses.
The cab on the Ashland Type 1 Ultramedic.
Exterior lighting on the Road Rescue Type 1 Ultramedic includes a HiViz FireTech LED brow light, dimmable Whelen M series LED warning lights, and dimmable Whelen M series scene lights.
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.
