Up to Standard
In 1993, I went to Washington, D.C., to write an article about the General Services Administration’s KKK ambulance standard. The interview ended up being very stilted, and a friend later told me that ambulances were the stepchildren of the fire service.
Ambulances are emergency vehicles — and emergency vehicle technicians maintain and repair them — yet they don’t fall under NFPA vehicles standards. Now, after years of rumors and talk, the NFPA has begun the process to develop a standard for ambulances.
According to David Fischler, the chairman of the newly appointed ambulance committee, a surprisingly large number of applicants tried to join the ambulance committee. Twenty-three voting members were selected, representing nine different categories, including manufacturers, end users and consultants.
“We’re not starting from scratch,” Fischler said. “We’re using pre-existing documents, including NFPA 1901, the original KKK-1822 document, the Ambulance Manufacturers Division [of the of the National Truck Equipment Association] standards and other pertinent information.”
Fischler hopes a draft document will be available for public review within a year. Once the draft document is put out for comment, there is a 104-week cycle of revisions before the final standard is proposed. The new NFPA ambulance standard could be in effect as soon as 2013.
But will the ambulance standard evolve the way NFPA 1901 has? It’s important to keep ambulances to an affordable price, so minimum requirements could be a priority. Only two fire departments — one a metro department — are among the voting members. How will the fire departments’ view an ambulance standard?
According to one ambulance manufacturer, current prices of ambulances are in the $225,000–$275,000 range of. Remember when that was the top dollar for fire trucks?
But why create the standard now, after all this time? Is it to increase safety, standardize equipment or reduce liability? I think the increasing number of EMS accidents across the nation has something to do with the need for a standard, but so do the need for driver training and patient safety.
June 24th, 2009 at 12:38 pm
From a department that operates both fire and EMS, it is about time a standard was developed. I do not particular like the fact ther are only two fire voting members on the committee. The department I represent currently has 15 fire stations, 442 paid members and is responsible for a land area 354 square miles. Currently, we are budgeting $198,000 for our medic units. Next fiscal year we have jump that fiqure to $225,000. Cost has become a big factor in what type of unit we acquire and also meet Virginia State EMS standards. There are departments that are smaller and do not know how they are going to meet the ever increasing needs of citizens and purchse new units. I hope the standard writers keep this in mind and will also be willing to change the written standard once it is out for review. In the past it has done absolutely no good to submit comments. Case in point is the color of reflective stripping on the rear of fire apparatus. The idea of stripping is a very good standard, mandating the color has gone way over the top. Each locality had already started adopting the stripping concept and develop a color pattern to meet that departments style. Now color is mandated and some departments are signing wavers to the standard not realizing what this means. Standards should help protect, not micromanage.
Over all,,, this is a good idea that will finally start to bring EMS under a national standard and ensure they are no longer viewed as the step child of the fire service.
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