The Joy of Specs

     Whether you're in the public sector or the private, vehicle purchases are a major expense. With that kind of investment, you need to get exactly what you want. That's why the specification process is important.

     Utilizing a bidding process lets you detail specs for the required systems and optional equipment you want on your vehicle. Two things that should be reflected in your specs are the current General Services Administration KKK standards and any additional state or local requirements. Incorporating these ensures that you won't end up with a truck that, for some reason, needs to be retrofitted with missing elements.

     If you're in management, an important early step should be to sit down with your personnel and get a feel for what they'd like to have in a rig. Ambulance manufacturers have lists of accessories, and contacting a sales representative can help you find out what fits what. If you already have a good idea of what you want, try to get the exact specifications for that vehicle. If your preferred company doesn't win the bid, at least you'll have something close to what you wanted. The more details in your spec sheet, the better it will be for everyone concerned.

     Something people may overlook when speccing out their trucks is some of the details that can have an impact on your downtime and repairs. It's pretty much given in the automotive industry that parts are modified or change over time. To that end, it's a good idea to request copies of the schematics of the ambulance, any special adapters/cables for interfacing with it, and service and parts manuals/CDs/DVDs for both the truck and the box. There is nothing worse than watching a mechanic swap parts to see if it will fix a problem because they don't have the proper diagnostic tool or manual. This will save you time and money. If you're a department that orders several trucks a year, one set per model year should work fine for your maintenance folks.

     Another item that's coming into use is an hour meter. Get one if you can; it will benefit your tracking of vehicle costs, help improve your scheduled services and cut down on catastrophic engine failures. You may be spending well over $100,000, and a little extra investment goes a long way toward keeping that vehicle on the road as long as possible.

SAFETY AND OTHER CONCERNS
     With speccing out trucks comes the matter of crew and patient safety. From restraint devices to child safety seats to lift gates and pneumatic and electric-powered stretchers, there is a variety of features available. If you're procuring a specialty truck, such as a NICU/PICU critical-care transport vehicle, a lift gate can save a lot of backs.

     An emerging trend involves automated-lift stretchers, bariatric stretchers and bariatric ambulances. With the rise in obesity in the United States, these advances can increase patient safety, reduce provider injuries, reduce the manpower needed to handle these patients, and improve customer satisfaction.

     I'm a believer in commonality. I know a lot of things determine what goes into a vehicle; cost and other issues come into play. But if you can have one family of vehicles, your maintenance issues become easier. Parts you keep on the shelf become cheaper because you can buy them in bulk. They'll also take up less room: Instead of having different sets of brake pads for several types of vehicles, you'll need only front and rear sets for one. They may also be interchangeable between vehicles, reducing downtime.