By Alan M. Petrillo
Some fire departments and EMS providers are turning to refurbishing apparatus as an alternative to purchasing new rigs.
Their motivation is to best use a strong and often still functional body and equipment and replace the chassis, if necessary, with the latest in designs. Such replacement typically saves a great deal of money for municipalities.
Ambulance Remounts
Matt Minerd, segment marketing manager for fire and emergency at REV Group, says late in 2016 REV Group acquired a manufacturing facility in the Jefferson, North Carolina, area that fit its needs perfectly to become REV’s Remount Center for all its ambulance brands. “Previously Horton, AEV, and some other brands did their own remounts, but when you put a remount into the new ambulance production process, it can create some ineffiencies,” Minerd points out. REV Group owns the AEV, Horton, Frontline, Leader, Marque, McCoy Miller, Road Rescue, and Wheeled Coach ambulance brands. “We wanted to consolidate remounts for all eight of our brands into the Remount Center,” Minerd says. “The benefits for customers are dedicated engineering, electrical, and production staffs that are committed to remounts.”
1 This ambulance on a Ford E-450 chassis is undergoing refurbishment by Braun Industries Inc. (Photo courtesy of Braun Industries Inc.)
Minerd notes that the REV Remount Center staff performs a full evaluation of the vehicle to be remounted. “They look at its current condition, identify potential problem areas, and report on what the vehicle needs to get up to current standards,” he says. “We’ll discount the vehicle and dispose of the old chassis, bring in a new chassis, and perform the remount and refurbishment, which includes a new cab console; front switch panel; siren speakers; heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning unit (HVAC); door switches; handles; and upholstery. If a customer wants changes inside the box, we can accommodate them to change the configuration and the cabinetry.”
Chad Brown, vice president of sales and marketing for Braun Industries Inc., says that typically what drives the need for an ambulance remount is either a vehicle that’s been in an accident and its chassis is not repairable or one that has worn through its life cycle. “Most remounts on a five- to 10-year-old truck mean replacing the chassis with a new one and completely refurbishing the module,” Brown says. “We meet with the customer and talk about safety upgrades necessary and also look at high-wear items and decide whether they need to be replaced, repaired, or have nothing done to them.”
2 Louisville (KY) Metro EMS turned to Life Line Emergency Vehicles to rehab this ambulance (inset). The Louisville ambulance is shown after the rechassis and refurb done by Life Line. (Photos courtesy of Life Line Emergency
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