Morning Lineup – January 30

You may have noticed that the past few weeks we have been posting the occasional “stolen ambulance” report. Out there in the real world it happens even more frequently than we’ve been reporting, and I don’t understand why the ambulance operators aren’t starting to catch on yet.

Maybe it’s because so many of the EMS providers are private firms who don’t keep in touch with each other as much as they should. I don’t know if that’s so, just speculating. Last week we reported on one where the amb. firm, which doesn’t have a garage, had left its unit parked outside with the motor running all night so that it would be properly warmed if they got a call for service. If that isn’t an invitation for trouble, I don’t know what is. (Wouldn’t it be a lot more economically feasible to keep a 120 v. space heater in the back and plug it in while at home?)

This didn’t used to be as much of a problem as it is now. But over the past 10 years or so, some states have adopted an unwritten policy of letting criminals roam loose instead of keeping them in jail. And it is this unruly element that is largely responsible for these acts.

Just yesterday another ambulance was taken from a hospital emergency room entrance. This time it was in Washington, Pennsylvania, by a cretin who was just looking for a free ride home. Again, it was a unit operated by a small privately-owned firm. In an interview with a Pittsburgh tv station, he said that “he will review procedures because of the incident. The owner said before the incident, they left the keys in the ignition because of the speed in which they work.”

I’ll leave it to you to decide if taking an ignition key out of your pocket before you climb into the cab really slows down the “speed in which they work.” In the video report linked above, the owner of the 6-ambulance fleet says that he’s “never heard of an ambulance being stolen.”

But the point is, there is way too much carelessness going on. Don’t put yourself in this situation where you’re justifying why you are suddenly missing your vehicle. Think. Act. Prevent.

Let’s check out the equipment now. I’ll see to the coffee.

Share and Post on Facebook, Twitter and More:

Featured from across Fire/EMS

Dale

amazingly, several firms make simple anti-theft devices that can be installed on new ambulances and retrofitted to existing ambulances (or any other emergency vehicle) as well. Flip a switch, remove the key, and the vehicle can remain running in inclement weather. The crew simply reinserts the key and flips the switch to "off" and everything is back to normal. The cost is less that $200 installed (less that the cost of one additional warning light on most vehicles.) There are also remote control keypads and keyfobs that can allow a crew to leave a vehicle running with they key in the ignition and lock all the doors in areas where security at calls (or even keeping someone who is not authorized from moving your vehicle.)

Imagine what happens when insurance carriers deny claims for expensive vehicle damage because of a lack of basic security procedures. Your carrier might even offer a "discount" for the additional installation of some of these anti-theft devices that can offset the cost of these relatively inexpensive devicess.