What are some of the most crucial, irreplaceable, necessary, and customized vehicles on the road today? Without a doubt, rescue vehicles play a vital role in society. These can include everything from ambulance vans to the various types of fire vehicles and even mobile units used for water rescues, disaster response, etc. Different aspects of rescue require varied types of equipment, vehicles, personnel, and more. For your apparatus committees, one of the most challenging projects can be rescue equipment. Rescue truck specifications require highly customized apparatus in many cases. Regarding the size, storage compartments, customized features, and more, there are any number of hard decisions to make. To help the planning of your next rescue purchase run more smoothly and efficiently, we’re going to offer a few useful tips.
What Type of Emergency Response Will the Vehicle Provide?
In other words, what’s the situation that this vehicle will be sent to? When it comes to design and layout decisions, your committee will be better informed by knowing the kinds of situations that the truck/apparatus will be responding to. A specific list of response situations should be made before anything else. If your committee starts to get off track and plan more or less than the original design intended or anticipated, go back to the list.
Frequency of Apparatus’ Tools Usage
This refers to how often the tools of your apparatus will be used – the frequency of use. The most frequently used tools involved in a particular rescue should be those that are most easily accessed. So, the design must incorporate these components on the basis of how often they will be used in certain situations.
Equipment Weight
To determine the payload and proper distribution, you may need to weigh your equipment. Though they may not be adequate for your needs, the NFPA guidelines do provide equipment payload values.
Compartments Within the Vehicle
You will be able to save some money if, from one compartment to another, you can easily move trays, shelves, and other components. This is going to mean equal storage space dimensions and, more likely than not, the use of one vendor for all equipment falling under this category. Interchangeable trays, shelves, etc. is going to make the vehicle equally utilitarian regardless of the job, assignment, personnel, etc.
While on the topic of compartments, with the type of mission in question as a guide, compartments should be grouped (i.e., having the stabilization, jacks, and cribbing all in one compartment). A rescue crew will be able to work more efficiently if, located in the same place, everything they need for a specific job is accessible.
Harmful Products Kept Separately
Extra caution must be used in the design of compartments that will hold harmful products such as gasoline. One compartment each should hold any and all hazardous fluids, cans, tools, etc. Anything that should be kept away from sparks must be isolated from metal tools, for example. Fumes can also be a problem against which safeguards must be put in place.
Put Your Trust In Mickey Genuine Parts
Few vehicles are as important as rescue trucks. They play a crucial role in society. That’s why, when it’s time for emergency or preventative maintenance on your rescue trucks, you should turn to someone in whom you can put your utmost trust. Count on the technicians at Mickey certified service centers for your emergency truck maintenance needs.
If you’ve already got a qualified and dependable maintenance crew working on your trucks, let them know that if they order the parts they need from Mickey Genuine Parts by 2 PM Eastern Standard Time, we will begin shipping their order the very same day. Parts that are not in stock will be expedited ASAP. Contact us today for more information.