The Pike Township (IN) Fire Department, an agency that runs nearly 12,000 emergency medical services calls a year, chose PL Custom Body and Equipment Company to build the fourth ambulance for its fleet.
Chief Chris Tragesser says the department wants to provide the best quality apparatus and equipment for its staff. “We wanted to give them the best quality emergency room on wheels from which to operate,” Tragesser says. “We had purchased three PL Custom Type 3 ambulances in 2020 and were so pleased with them that we purchased our fourth PL Custom but made some minor tweaks to the rig.”
Chad Newsome, PL Custom’s national sales manager, points out the new Pike Township Type 3 is on a Ford E-450 chassis and cab with seating for two paramedics/emergency medical technicians (EMTs). He says the rig’s overall length is 22 feet 11 inches, overall height is 8 feet 11 inches, and width is 8 feet 3 inches. “The ambulance has our 170-inch Medallion body with 72 inches of headroom that features a Medic in Mind interior configuration,” Newsome observes.
Dean Martin, owner of Crossroads Ambulance Sales & Service Inc., who sold the rig to Pike Township, says that unlike the first three PL Custom Type 3s the department purchased, this rig has the Medic in Mind curbside configuration. “The department determined that the need to transport a second patient was not as important as having the paramedic/EMS in a seated, belted position but still able to work on a patient and have critical supplies in easy reach,” Martin points out.
Martin says PL Custom also widened the CPR seat and angled the outside corners of the cabinets to 45 degrees to match the overhead cabinets. “That allows a medic trying to start an IV or perform another type of function the latitude to move in a forward or back direction,” he says. “It opens up the work area for the medic and is not as confining.” He adds that the ambulance has sliding and vertical hinged cabinets that meet or exceed new KKK-A-1822 and Commission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services (CASS) requirements for testing.
Unique to this rig, Martin says, is a long narrow compartment under the squad bench that can be accessed from either inside or outside the vehicle. “It gives the staff the ability to grab a pediatric backboard or soft splints from under the squad bench without going inside the vehicle,” he says. “Also, under that access door, the rig’s exhaust is recessed above the frame so it can be easily connected to the station’s exhaust hose.”
Mike Goodrich, Pike Township Fire’s EMS chief, says the rig has a Stryker Power-LOAD system and PowerPRO cot that help to prevent back injuries among the staff. “We took PL Custom’s suggestions on lighting and went with the two remote-controlled Golight LED pod mounting spotlights at the front corners of the vehicle’s module to better enable the crew to see addresses, TecNiq LED warning, and flood and scene lights,” he says. He adds that when the vehicle is in park, the exterior lighting can be dimmed and the scene lighting can be angled to the rear when backing up to allow the driver to see the rear wheels and the pivot point of the vehicle.
1 The Pike Township (IN) Fire Department had PL Custom Body and Equipment Company build this Type 3 ambulance on a Ford E-450 chassis and cab. (Photos courtesy of PL Custom Body and Equipment Company.)
department
Pike Township (IN) Fire Department
Strength: 160 paid full-time firefighters, 30 administrative staff; 5 stations.
Service area: It is located in the northwest part of Marion County, Indiana, northwest of Indianapolis, and provides fire suppression, rescue, and EMS to 85,000 residents in a 44-square-mile coverage area.
Other apparatus: Five Pierce paramedic engines, two Pierce ladder/heavy rescue companies, a hydrocarbon foam unit, and four PL Custom Ford E-450 advanced life support ambulances.
2 The rig has a 170-inch Medallion body with 72 inches of interior headroom.
3 The rig has two Golight LED pod-mounted spotlights at the front corners of the patient module.
4 The ambulance carries TecNiq LED flood lights and scene lights.
5 A unique feature on the rig is a long narrow compartment underneath the squad bench that can be accessed from either inside or outside the module.
6 PL Custom widened the CPR seat and angled the outside corners of the cabinets 45 degrees to match the overhead cabinets.
7 The ambulance has PL Custom’s Medic in Mind curbside configuration.
specs
PL Custom Body and Equipment Co. Type 3 Ambulance
- Ford E-450 Type 3 chassis and cab with seating for two
- 170-inch Medallion body with 72 inches of headroom
- Medic in Mind interior configuration
- Overall length: 22 feet 11 inches
- Overall height: 8 feet 11 inches
- Overall width: 8 feet 3 inches
- Four-wheel anti-lock brake system
- 5,000-pound twin beam front axle
- 9,500-pound heavy-duty rear axle
- Pro-Vision 360-degree camera system
- Two remote-controlled Golight LED pod-mounted spotlights at the front corners of the module
- TecNiq LED flood lights and scene lights
The ambulance also has a Whelen traffic advisor, an Opticom emitter, a Pro-Vision 360-degree camera system, and Zico quick release oxygen bottle brackets. One of the notable elements of the ambulance is its color scheme, Goodrich says. “We went with a pewter and yellow paint scheme, which is modern and has better visibility,” he notes. “The reflective elements against the pewter background really stand out better and make the vehicle very noticeable.”
Tragesser says that Pike Township Fire strives to keep its employees “healthy and happy in the work. We want to give them reliable apparatus and equipment that let them use their skill sets. We always look for suggestions and input from our staff and give them what they need to do their jobs, like the data entry portion of ambulance runs that is being managed on a new computer platform. A major support of that effort is from our Township Trustee Annette Johnson.”
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.
