Horton Emergency Vehicles recently delivered two Horton 603 model Type 1 ambulances built on Ford F-550 4×4 chassis to Person County (NC) Emergency Medical Services. (Photos courtesy of FESCO Emergency Sales)
By Alan M. Petrillo
Horton Emergency Vehicles has delivered two Horton 603 model Type 1 ambulances to Person County (NC) Emergency Medical Services. Person County is the lead agency for the EMS system in the 404 square miles of the county and is responsible for coordinating all system participants in both the public and private sectors, including the county’s medical first responder program.
Medical responses in Person County receive an advanced life support paramedic unit, which is stationed at various EMS bases located throughout the county, while additional units are added for special events and state deployments to maintain the demand for specialized and increased medical responses.
Dave Marshall, director of sales for Horton Emergency Vehicles, says the two new Type 1 rigs for Person County are built on Ford F-550 4×4 chassis with 167-inch-long patient modules with a pass-through from the cabs, and 193-inch wheelbases, powered by 6.7-liter diesel engines.
The two new Type 1 rigs are powered by 6.7-liter diesel engines, and have 6-inch drop skirts on the curbside of the patient module with a double step entry for the side door.
The interior of the rigs have the Horton HOPS and the MBrace safety systems.
Marshall notes that the rigs each have Liquid Spring rear suspensions to provide a smoother ride for patients and crews, a 6-inch drop skirt on the curbside of the body with a double step entry for the side door; Vanner Lifesine inverter/chargers; Kussmaul 20-amp auto eject shorelines; CoolTech 1 four-fan 100,000-British thermal unit (BTU) condensers; and auxiliary air conditioning compressors for the patient module.
Chuck Simpson, regional sales manager for FESCO Emergency Sales, who sold the ambulances to Person County EMS, points out that each of the rigs has Buckstop Classic front bumpers, sound proofing/acoustic enhancement packages in the patient modules, rear bumpers covered in yellow Linex, electric door locks on the entries and outer compartments, AutoGard anti-theft systems, Brigade four-channel DVR systems tied to Horton 360 camera systems, and Ford backup cameras.
Simpson adds that the interior of the patient module has the Horton Occupant Protection System (HOPS) and the MBrace safety system. HOPS incorporates safety elements like advanced restraints, multi-density head protection, tubular airbags, and head curtain airbags to absorb energy and protect occupants during impacts, while the MBrace system, which was developed with IMMI, integrates an airbag into a four-point retractable harness, providing both frontal and rollover protection for emergency care providers.
Both rigs have Buckstop Classic front bumper.
Acrylic-faced cabinets are above the two-seat squad bench, while four glove box holders run down the forward side of the bench.
Above the two-seat squad bench are acrylic-faced cabinets, and down the side, four glove box holders, Simpson says. On the streetside, the upper cabinets have a restocking feature, while the rear streetside cabinet has inside/outside access, and there are glove boxes on each side of the rear entry doors.
Simpson notes that the L1 cabinet holding oxygen tanks is a bit unusual in that it is set up to hold two full-size oxygen tanks to compensate for some of the long runs the EMS crews have to make. Each of the rigs also have a Stryker PowerLOAD rail and Power XT cot.
Marshall says the rigs have Whelen Howler sirens, while lighting on the ambulances includes a RotoRay on the front grille, Whelen M7 and M9 LED emergency and scene lighting, a Whelen PFA1 Super LED flood light on each side of the box, LED underbody lighting, and LED external compartment lighting.
The rigs have 100,000-BTU CoolTech 1 condensers and Whelen M7 and M9 LED emergency lighting.
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.
