Annabelle at the retirement party...

Here in British Columbia, we have only one ambulance service, creatively known as the British Columbia Ambulance Service, or BCAS (Original, huh???), administered under the Ministry of Health.

Basicly the same ambulances are used throughout the Province, providing a standardization of service. As a result, BCAS buys ambulances in bulk, to custom specifications (No "off the shelf" ambulances for us, thank you very much!), saving money and making for quite the windfall for the lucky bidder.

Recently, a large order of new ambulances was received from the new supplier, Demers et Fils, from Quebec. Yes, that's the same "Dimmers and Phils" that ended up being mis-spelt in some recent posts. It's French for "Demers and Sons", and they make quite nice rigs.

Anyway. to make a long story short, the new rigs were distributed to their various regions and the old units that are being retired were gathered together at a storage facility just a few blocks from my home. My '68 Superior, Annabelle, and I decided to pop down for a visit and give Annabelle a chance to review her much younger siblings. Out of respect for her age and the fact that she's a pro-car, the retirees lines up as an Honor Guard just for her! :respect:

BCAS cars 1.JPG

BCAS Cars 2.JPG

BCAS cars 3.JPG
 
Reminds me of......

The "not off the shelf" rigid government spec. ambulances reminds me of the $600.00 ash trays and the $3,000.00 coffee makers that made headlines in (U.S.) government airplanes 25 years ago! MM
 
The "not off the shelf" rigid government spec. ambulances reminds me of the $600.00 ash trays and the $3,000.00 coffee makers that made headlines in (U.S.) government airplanes 25 years ago! MM

To give credit where credit is due, Mike, the folks that run our vehicle department are pretty sharp cookies (Happy retirement, Jim F. Thanks for your many years of great service!!!) and have leveraged their bulk buying position to obtain some pretty impressive discounted pricing. When you order 50 rigs at a time, the suppliers really sharpen their pencils! :)
 
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Looks like some just don't respect Annabelle, since they have turned their backs toward her.....:respect: & :rofl1: Great pictures and a impressive fleet of vehicles. :thumb: Was Annabelle originally in service in British Columbia???
 
Was Annabelle originally in service in British Columbia???

Yes, Paul, she was. Annabelle was purchased new by the Cranbrook Ambulance Society in Cranbrook, B.C. (Eastern B.C., close to the Alberta border) in 1968. When the B.C. government took over ambulance service in this province in the 70's, she became a B.C. Ambulance Service unit until she was retired in the early 80s and became an industrial ambulance for a logging company. By very good fortune, she was kept garaged and barely used for industrial applications, resulting in her interior being in exceptional condition right up to this day.
 
Thanks Doug!

Thanks for posting the pics Doug, they're great. For those who follow ambulance manufacturers, the ambulances that are now coming out of service were built by Crestline. Crestline is a major Canadian ambulance/specialty vehicle builder based in Saskatoon, Sask. This is Peter Adsten's former company

As an end user of the ambulances the BCAS purchases I can say that they are designed well and hold up well (except for issues related to certain Ford engines beyond the control of our Fleet people). The specs for our units are intense and do result in a very good product. Safety and ergonomics for the crew are first and foremost and has resulted in fewer injuries to our paramedics due to poor equipment storage. Not alot of outside chrome (ie. wheel covers) but the interiors are well build and meet the needs of the crews.

In order for a manufacturer to meet the BCAS specs, they must be willing to sacrifice an ambulance as spec'd. Basically the structural and g-force tests destroy the ambulance but confirm that the specs are met or exceeded.

Glad you managed to get the '68 into the storage compound.

Bill
 
Why does she ride so high in the rear?

Steve, I'm planning on putting some wide tires on her, and some wheelie casters, and flames on the hood, and a blower. I'm going to chop the roof, flare the fenders, and.....

Now that you (and Paul) have regained consciousness, the real explanation is that, prior to me owning her, a sidewalk mechanic tried to replace the springs. He put in the wrong ones. The car was barely drivable, so I had them replaced and we haven't quite got them dialed in yet.

Mind you, with 4 patients and an attendant in the back, she rides nice and level!

:yum:
 
That is one crazy paint scheme. :smileflagcan:

It's unique, Richard. That's for sure. The unseen (and deliberate) benefit to those stripes is that they form a red cross on the roof of the ambulance, making for easier identification from the air. The striped scheme was introduced in 1974 and has been in place ever since. The only difference is that the "red cross in circle", seen on Annabelle's doors, was replaced with the British Columbia government crest on newer units.
 
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