The hot new ambulances...

Paul Steinberg

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Why are all these ambulances going up in smoke?

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bC55uy_5-NI[/ame]

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wV9yx247Ozo&feature=fvwp&NR=1[/ame]

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4hvxGMpwHk[/ame]
 
took long enough to melt the brass valve off the O2 tank. with it beig a interier fire I would guess it was electric in nature. once the unfused wire got hot enough to get the wood burning it was all over. but then I know a little bit about how fast a couple of battries can get things red hot. still got scars under my ring to prove it. not to mention a few pictures of a different time.
 
The third one (Statter 911) is local to me, happened last week. The crew was two off-duty DC firefighters working their part-time job. They saved their personal effects and the portable O2 tanks. Left the monitor inside. The second, smaller exposion up front was apparently the laptop battery. Ironically, the building next to the gas station they are in is...a firehouse. Unfortunately, the engine was out at another station on a detail, so there was a significant delay in the next-due engine arriving.
 
I didn't realize that ambulances had this problem. I see the first was parked in front of a Walmart...you never know what your gonna see at Walmart!!!!
 
To begin with they are Ford's - enuff said- but I heard that its a wiring harness problem

Noticed the horns were hung up on two of them during the fires! And the Wal-Mart guy prolly had a little more to cuss about after checking his pants I'd say!:fart1: Any one notice the Power Call Siren and the Roto-Ray on the engine in the third video?:peek-a-boo:
 
Vehicles burn all the time, sometimes they happen to be ambulances. I've seen a few minor fires caused by hand-held spotlights. We had one major fire that was electrical in the modular body.
 
If my memory is accurate, it seems that about twenty, or twenty five years ago, there was a story on the news about Ford ambulances having this problem of catching on fire. I know that there was a big recall on Ford cars with cruise control, that would also catch on fire. Although I doubt that most ambulances have cruise control, perhaps there is a connection between the two.
 
Bill, you remember partially correctly.

In 1986, ambulance services nationwide noted a significant increase in fires on the Ford E-series ambulances. Investigation revealed that '82-'86 Ford E-series vans with gas motors and the heavy-duty ambulance modifications had routed the fuel lines next to the hot exhaust piping. This would result in increased pressure in the fuel tank, often resulting in gas being blown out under pressure from the fuel fill, sometimes on fire. I actually was doused myself one day from this (not on fire) and you tend to remember it well when you're wearing gasoline from head to toe. There was a huge recall, as Ford probably had 50% of the ambulance market at the time, and this also affected TV station vans and some RVs. Insulation was installed, and vents or louvers were also installed in the hoods, and this and attrition solved the problem. That sealed the fate of gasoline powered ambulances, leading the switch to diesel.

Interestingly, one of the first to notice the trend at the time was New York City EMS. They initially determined that part of the problem was that their ambulances were left running for several days straight, without ever being turned off (not at the scene, not at the hospital, not at the fuel pump, never got back to quarters long enough, etc.). So that was an interesting finding.

This set of videos doesn't seem to illustrate an increase in ambulance fires, but probably an increase in ambulance fires being filmed and put on YouTube. But we'll see...
 
Yes. But they are both pretty common around here, as both (reproduction) items are manufactured locally.

I knew that the Power Call Sirens were now being produced again. Not very common here at all. I did hear one off in the distance in Cincinnati last weekend during our meet though!
 
I knew that the Power Call Sirens were now being produced again. Not very common here at all. I did hear one off in the distance in Cincinnati last weekend during our meet though!

They are gaining popularity here in Northern NJ. Our Local PD has them on the new cars and the neighboring town PD who also use the same upfitter has them.
 
Bill, you remember partially correctly.

In 1986, ambulance services nationwide noted a significant increase in fires on the Ford E-series ambulances. Investigation revealed that '82-'86 Ford E-series vans with gas motors and the heavy-duty ambulance modifications had routed the fuel lines next to the hot exhaust piping. This would result in increased pressure in the fuel tank, often resulting in gas being blown out under pressure from the fuel fill, sometimes on fire. I actually was doused myself one day from this (not on fire) and you tend to remember it well when you're wearing gasoline from head to toe. There was a huge recall, as Ford probably had 50% of the ambulance market at the time, and this also affected TV station vans and some RVs. Insulation was installed, and vents or louvers were also installed in the hoods, and this and attrition solved the problem. That sealed the fate of gasoline powered ambulances, leading the switch to diesel.

Interestingly, one of the first to notice the trend at the time was New York City EMS. They initially determined that part of the problem was that their ambulances were left running for several days straight, without ever being turned off (not at the scene, not at the hospital, not at the fuel pump, never got back to quarters long enough, etc.). So that was an interesting finding.

This set of videos doesn't seem to illustrate an increase in ambulance fires, but probably an increase in ambulance fires being filmed and put on YouTube. But we'll see...

Steve I know the Feeling. I wa s at Henry Ford Hospital Detroit one day and a Visitor asks me if that was our Ambulance parked outside I said yes he says it is Leaking. I go over to it and sure enough gas is on the ground. I open the fuel door in time to see the gas cap rotating and dousing me with gas

Russ
 
If my memory is accurate, it seems that about twenty, or twenty five years ago, there was a story on the news about Ford ambulances having this problem of catching on fire. I know that there was a big recall on Ford cars with cruise control, that would also catch on fire. Although I doubt that most ambulances have cruise control, perhaps there is a connection between the two.

Surprisingly, nearly all ambulance chassis COME with cruise control
 
the reality of it is fords have a problem of catching on fire. walk threw the junk yard and 3 out of 4 cars you see burnt are fords and they all started from the interior. now this is not sanctioned by any one just my observations
 
There was a huge recall, as Ford probably had 50% of the ambulance market at the time, and this also affected TV station vans and some RVs. Insulation was installed, and vents or louvers were also installed in the hoods, and this and attrition solved the problem. That sealed the fate of gasoline powered ambulances, leading the switch to diesel.

Ford developed an Ambulance Preparation Package to help with this and other issues. No ambulance conversion could be built on a Ford chassis without having this option. Ford required a Diesel engine for ambulances from the 1988 model year through 2009. Ford ended this requirement mainly because they were losing a large share of the ambulance market (relatively small; around 5,000 per year total) as a result of major issues with their 6.0 and 6.4 Diesel engines.
 
ambulance fires

There have been a number of ambulance station fires originating in the vehicles in various places. Some destroyed a lot of their fleet. I remember one of our vehicles having a fire from a pinched hose in the main oxygen system that melted through when the tank was cracked open too quickly. It didn't turn into a whole vehicle fire but could have if it had happened inside the cabinetry somewhere. Electrical fires seem to be a big cause, there is so much power and wiring inside modern rigs and multiple batteries that can short out....
 
Here is some information on the cruise control issue. (Article copy/pasted below). I know about this because I worked for Ford from 2006 - 2009, and when I started, this was a huge recall and was a major issue for Ford. We even had a special process that we had to follow anytime someone called in to our customer service center to report their vehicle caught on fire. In some cases, their vehicle was parked in the garage not even running and it caught on fire.

I will tell you that all Ford vehicles that were involved in this recall were continuously sent notifications from Ford and the NHTSA notifying that their vehicle was involved in this NHTSA mandated safety recall, and to bring it in to their local Ford dealership to have the recall performed free of charge. And all vehicles brought in for service at a dealership are entered into Ford's OASIS system and any outstanding recalls are performed anytime it's in for service. In my opinion it's unlikely that an ambulance company would ignore any vehicles in its fleet that needed to have a safety recall done.



Ford Expands Cruise Control Switch Recall
Posted: Oct 14, 2009 10:26 a.m.

Ford's biggest vehicle recall just got a lot bigger.

The Detroit News reports, "Ford Motor Co. agreed to expand its largest-ever recall by about 4.5 million vehicles over a faulty switch linked to hundreds of vehicle fires. The action, which comes in the face of an 18-month federal investigation, means the company has now called back more than 14 million vehicles in eight separate recalls over a 10-year period because of the problem."

Autoblog explains, "the [cruise control] switch can leak and overheat, which can lead to smoking and, in some cases, fire." The switch has been linked to over 500 fires and about 1,500 owner complaints. About 16 million Ford vehicles are equipped with the switch.

Kicking Tires comments, "This has been a black cloud for Ford for nearly 10 years. The automaker recalled 9.6 million vehicles between 1999 and 2008 and is still battling dozens of lawsuits over the issue."

The expanded recall now includes the 1995 to 2003 Ford Windstar; the 2000 to 2003 Ford Excursion diesel; the 1993 to1997 and 1999 to 2003 Ford F-Super Duty diesel; the 1992 to 2003 Ford Econoline; the 1995 to 2002 Ford Explorer and Mercury Mountaineer; the 1995 to1997 and 2001 to 2003 Ford Ranger; and 1994 Ford F53 Motorhome vehicles equipped with the Texas Instruments speed control deactivation.

It's important for owners of these and other recalled vehicles to take note. The Detroit News reports that because the recall centers on the cruise control switch, some owners have ignored it, deciding to simply not use cruise control on those vehicles. However, in some cases, it appears the leak has occurred when the vehicle wasn't even in use. Lawsuits against Ford allege that affected vehicles have caught fire while parked in their owners' garages, leading to house fires and even some deaths.

Ford will begin recalling the vehicles on October 26.. If you own one of the affected vehicles, you can bring it to a Ford dealer who will repair the switch free of charge. You can also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration directly with questions about the recall at 1-888-327-4236.
 
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