Larger ambulances that are a box on the back of a truck or van chassis are called Type I and Type III respectively. An ambulance that is a modified van is called a Type II. Type I and III ambulances easily cost $160,000 to $200,000. Type II van ambulances are typically half that cost.
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| TYPE I |
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| TYPE II |
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| TYPE III |
For that much money you think you'd get a reliable vehicle, one that would perform without problems for many years. Unfortunately ambulances are pieces of crap. Not really, but they are very complex mechanically and electrically, and they are prone to either breakdowns or at the very least "gremlins" very early in their life, and it only gets worse with time.
Ambulances that break down on the way to a 9-1-1 emergency, or while transporting a sick patient to the hospital can literally cost lives. How can we defend accepting that risk? As an ambulance ages it is significantly more prone to such breakdowns. It stands to reason that for the same amount of money, you can replace a Type II ambulance in half the time that you would replace an ambulance that costs twice as much.
Unless your EMS service has the luxury of in-house mechanics, who are expert ambulance technicians, replacing an ambulance for a newer model as frequently as possible is an issue that can impact patient care. If a smaller Type II ambulance can perform the same work as a Type I or III, and we can afford to replace it more frequently than a more expensive ambulance, this is a smart move.
A powerful piece! I laughed at the "pieces of crap" comment, and would love to see you keep it, but as someone whose life and the life of those I love may depend on an Upper Valley ambulance someday, I need more reassurance than "not really!" I am afraid it would take a good amount of explaining to get me back on track with a positive frame of mind for listening to what you are writing. Fear may be appropriate, but it may distract or even drive off readers. So as much as I love the shock and brutal honesty of the crap statement, you may want to soften it unless you can think of a way to say "not really" more convincingly without adding too much to the piece. If anyone could do that, I believe you could, so if you end up revising this I will be delighted if you find a way to keep the crap. The only other thing that jumped out at me was the "If" in the last sentence. The piece would be stronger if you inserted a sentence that convinced me that a smaller Type II ambulance actually can perform the same work. Then you could get rid of the doubtful if that subtly undermines the power of the piece. Thank you so much for this important work you are doing and for doing it so well!
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