Ford Escape Hybird Paramedic Chaser (Pics)

EOppegaard · Post by **EOppegaard** » Wed May 24, 2006 6:52 am

Ford Escape Hybrid Paramedic Chaser / Flycar. Yeah...I don't understand why they chose the Hybrid either. It gets around 13mpg because it is weighed down so much with equipment...however does look good for the service trying to be "green". Here are some pics of the installs...none of them mine, done by a local dealer. It's all LED, with LED's behind the Grille, sides of the bumper, as well as the Slimlighter in the back window. Has 2 Kenwood Radios in it (forget the model #'s) one is inside the center console (rarely used) and the other is mounted on the side of the shifter hump.

Post by **alex** » Wed May 24, 2006 7:09 am

There are a large number of different reasons behind having such a vehicle.

-The vehicle can now go to other towns with a single paramedic and provide ALS care to their residents (and if they bill, they can send a bill for their time / services).

-The ambulance can go on an ALS criteria job with a BLS crew, and the flycar in tow. If the patient requires ALS, the paramedic can go on board with the BLS crew, and transport to the hospital. If the patient is a BLS patient, then they can actually get transported by the BLS crew, and the ALS crew member can stay in service.

-Towns which have only BLS/ALS volunteer agencies, which are supplemented by paid/career staff can rely on having a volunteer come in to drive the ambulance, but in the mean time the ALS vehicle can first respond and start care. If the BLS ambulance is unable to roll, there is still an advanced provider on scene awaiting BLS or ALS assistance from a commercial provider or another town.

There are a couple of the bigger reasons that I know of for having this type of vehicle. There are always two sides to every coin, and every system has it's reasons for doing what they do.

These vehicles are also very common in smaller cities/area's that don't have the ability to pay to keep all their ambulances staffed at the ALS level. You'll see a ton of these style vehicles all over upstate NY for example.

My $0.10.

EOppegaard · Post by **EOppegaard** » Wed May 24, 2006 8:50 am

Ohh I agree we need a Paramedic Flycar. We used to have a dodge grand caravan AWD...which actually worked very well. I just don't agree with the "Hybrid" mentality with it. I think I have a bit of a right to say this too since I own a Escape Hybrid myself...I just get better mileage than 13...alot better!

I also just wanted to showcase a Hybrid being used in this scenario to present that it is possible and can work.

nmfire10 · Post by **nmfire10** » Wed May 24, 2006 8:54 am

That thing was such a waste of money. I laugh everytime I see it go by. I think the arabic lettering really accents the dumbness of it!

SafetyLighting · Post by **SafetyLighting** » Wed May 24, 2006 9:25 am

Well, one reason a hybrid makes a great medic vehicle is because it has a generator and can power a refridgerator and other 110 volt products without an invertor. Of course that doesn't seem to be the case with this vehicle. For any of you who are emrgency responders and haven't taken a Hybrid vehicle class, take one. The hybrids are now coming out at 840 volts and can really ruin your day if they are live at an accident scene.

EOppegaard · Post by **EOppegaard** » Wed May 24, 2006 9:31 am

I drive one, and everything that is a HV line is coated in orange wireloom. There is also a manual HV shut off in the Trunk, however the vechicle automatically disconnects the power if the intertia sensor is tripped. The car does have an inverter in it...not generator...and it is hooked up with a regular edison outlet next to the convential 12v power socket.

SafetyLighting · Post by **SafetyLighting** » Wed May 24, 2006 10:31 am

Well Eric, I attended a training on Saturday where we went through a Hybrid Escape, and I can tell you for sure that there is a generator and that there isn't any invertor. There is an AC to DC convertor to charge the 12 Volt Battery and run 12 Volt accessories. Also there are in fact two inertia shutoffs, one front and one rear, however they shouldn't be trusted to protect us. And although the Escape Hybrid is at the low end as far as voltage goes, it is rated for a normal operating voltage of 300 Volts AC which is still enough to ruin your day. Another interesting fact is that the Generator is liquid cooled by the Yellow coolant. If this coolant is released, the puddle on the ground can be electrified by the vehicle and become a shock hazard.

To see all the HV components look at the following ER Guide:

http://www.motorcraftservice.com/vdirs/ ... escape.pdf

Post by **alex** » Wed May 24, 2006 11:18 am

EOppegaard wrote:Ohh I agree we need a Paramedic Flycar. We used to have a dodge grand caravan AWD...which actually worked very well. I just don't agree with the "Hybrid" mentality with it. I think I have a bit of a right to say this too since I own a Escape Hybrid myself...I just get better mileage than 13...alot better!

I also just wanted to showcase a Hybrid being used in this scenario to present that it is possible and can work.

See, here I was thinking (besides the nice pics of it) that you didn't understand why you got a flycar in the first place. Oh well!

It'll be interesting to see how it performs as an emergency vehicle in general, as I can see it being good on all around town type stuff - but the second you need to stomp on the gas for power (yeah, we've all never done that before) how the vehicle reacts.

-Alex

KitN1MCC · Post by **KitN1MCC** » Wed May 24, 2006 1:47 pm

if they wanted a real hybrid with a better generator set up, it would have been better to go with the Silverado Hybrid that has a big 110 volt system

or hell just do what middlesex does and get a tahoe or like new london a big F350 Squad 51 style truck

EOppegaard · Post by **EOppegaard** » Wed May 24, 2006 4:44 pm

SafetyLighting wrote:Well Eric, I attended a training on Saturday where we went through a Hybrid Escape, and I can tell you for sure that there is a generator and that there isn't any invertor.

Sorry to insult your trainingness...I know there is a generator in the car that recharges the HV battery when braking or idling with the ICE on etc...however I thought that the outlet in the car was inverter powered, guess I was wrong.

SafetyLighting · Post by **SafetyLighting** » Wed May 24, 2006 5:25 pm

lol, I think my trainingness is intact Eric, but thanks. I wasn't trying to sound like I knew it all, I was just typing the facts.

rolncode3 · Post by **rolncode3** » Mon May 29, 2006 8:58 pm

What is the storage thing in the back seat? Rollout or fixed?

jedi_saber · Post by **jedi_saber** » Tue May 30, 2006 8:50 am

how is that cencom controller mounted on the dash?

x1sspic · Post by **x1sspic** » Thu Jun 01, 2006 6:11 pm

bubblegum!

Seriously, that wouldn't last long before getting mysteriously snapped off....

SafetyLighting · Post by **SafetyLighting** » Fri Jun 02, 2006 3:11 am

looks like they removed the dash trim and mounted it to the dash underneath. Or maybe it is just mounted to the top of the dash. I wonder if the airbags clear it though.

EOppegaard · Post by **EOppegaard** » Tue Jun 06, 2006 3:14 am

The rear Cabinet is just mounted in the back, there is one slider tray, however is rarely ever used. The Cencom controller was mounted by removing the dash trim bezel. It is mounted using a piece of right angle metal, and secured under the dash trim, behind the radio.