EPA required device shuts off Ambulance with dying man inside.

[techres]

At least that is the claim of the EMS/Fire crew:

Ambulance Shuts Down On Way To Hospital | wusa9.com

So, either:

(A) EPA device shut off engine of ambulance while transferring man dying of gunshot wounds.
(B) EMS team stopped van in hopes of letting guy bleed out for shooting a police officer.

Neither is a good story.

 

[x10]

with 2013 emissions controls its going to happen more often,

 

[Clay]

yeah they have those in fire apparatus' as well. They initially had issues with them doing the same thing.

 

[Mosinguy]

Back when the 6.0 Ford Diesel came out in ambulances people were dying all the time because the engines were failing. That's why most ambulances you see are older and have the 7.3 diesels in them.

 

[AD Marc]

Ambulances break down all the time. So would your car if you drove it that way.

 

[Loco179]

Lots of problems with the new emission standards. You would be surprised how much of this goes on.

Ambulances break down all the time. So would your car if you drove it that way.

Only if they are not spec'd right. Typically a well designed ambulance has the best in-service time. This unit in question from DC was Horton on a heavy chassis. This was a quality truck with low hours. There is no reason for this happening. I wonder if dispatch gave them the time to "regen" their truck.

 

[Hoosierkav]

My understanding is that the engines need the urea refilled/changed out every X miles. Thus, a good PM program would have taken care of this problem.

But, yes, ambulances, fire trucks, and cruisers are prone to failure, just like anything else mechanical (roller coasters, etc.).

 

[x10]

My understanding is that the engines need the urea refilled/changed out every X miles. Thus, a good PM program would have taken care of this problem.

But, yes, ambulances, fire trucks, and cruisers are prone to failure, just like anything else mechanical (roller coasters, etc.).

Difference here is that there was (or may not) a failure the system worked like it was supposed to.

The EPA regs have outstripped the Need. And the Gov't has overstepped its bounds

 

[rambone]

Why are we talking about breaking down? The article explicitly says the EPA device was to blame. What am I missing here?

 

[Bill of Rights]

Why are we talking about breaking down? The article explicitly says the EPA device was to blame. What am I missing here?

Such articles are not always factually accurate, rambone, as we've seen repeatedly in articles linked here.

I am not in any way saying the device was or was not to blame; I don't have any evidence either way, only a story from the wonderful MSM. What I'm saying is that it could have been that, or it could have been a few other things. I don't know what the answer is, but I'm sure it's not swallowing whole whatever they're spoon-feeding us.

Blessings,
Bill

 

[AD Marc]

Lots of problems with the new emission standards. You would be surprised how much of this goes on.



Only if they are not spec'd right. Typically a well designed ambulance has the best in-service time. This unit in question from DC was Horton on a heavy chassis. This was a quality truck with low hours. There is no reason for this happening. I wonder if dispatch gave them the time to "regen" their truck.

LOL, our ford e-series Horton has 20K on the clock over 5 years and has been nothing but problems. I think the turbocharger is about ready to go this time around.

If this was them running out of urea, then that's a problem with the crew, fleet mechanic, or whoever is responsible for maintenance on the vehicles.

 

[AD Marc]

Here's a better article

Emissions equipment causes DC ambulance to shut down, patient dies - Autoblog

Was definitely the urea injection system running out of fluid and causing the vehicle to shut down. The EPA doesn't require this shutdown feature on emergency vehicles.

 

[Bigtanker]

The Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) system puts a uria fluid into something like a catalytic converter. If the computer senses the system failing, it can shut down the motor if it goes long enough, like 15-20 min. Some of us truckers deal with this on a weekly basis. Sucks.

 

[IndyBeerman]

Why are we talking about breaking down? The article explicitly says the EPA device was to blame. What am I missing here?

What you are missing something, you mean the great Rambone is factually challenged????

How about this...

A engine part directly related to scrub emissions failed.

When it fails, it's called breaking down if the part stops doing it's intended purpose.

Sorta like a belt breaking, or a vital gear strips, or may like a misleading headline, they are all something that's broke, get it?

 

[iamaclone45]

At least that is the claim of the EMS/Fire crew:

Ambulance Shuts Down On Way To Hospital | wusa9.com

So, either:

(A) EPA device shut off engine of ambulance while transferring man dying of gunshot wounds.
(B) EMS team stopped van in hopes of letting guy bleed out for shooting a police officer.

Neither is a good story.

I'm guessing it's 99.9% option A. I've seen this happen with several of the newer Ford E-Series chassis.

As a matter of fact, two weeks ago we had to bail out a surrounding county EMS unit for this exact reason.

 

[Loco179]

LOL, our ford e-series Horton has 20K on the clock over 5 years and has been nothing but problems. I think the turbocharger is about ready to go this time around.

If this was them running out of urea, then that's a problem with the crew, fleet mechanic, or whoever is responsible for maintenance on the vehicles.

Yep E-series are way too light. This was actually heavy duty chassis ( freight liner I think ). When the regen light goes on, we have to mark out and take care of it no matter what.

Edit : Yep these are freightliner chassis with a Horton box. They are very very well made. The regen system sucks ass. FEMS is at fault for not disabling this system.

 

[LEaSH]

I dont understand why FoMoCo or any manufacturer wouldnt install a limp mode into their systems.

 

[UnionPmedic]

I don't know how to quot multiple people in one post, so I will try to answer some questions.

Horton is a top-notch ambulance manufacturer (I do not work, nor receive any compensation from Horton).

The Ford 6.0 is a RAGING POS. At a previous FD I worked at we had two, manufactured the same year. They spent more time in the shop then on the road. It has nothing to do with who made the box (back of ambulance).

The Ford 6.0 did not regenerate, nor did it have urea. I do not know what the newer Fords do for emissions. Ford was out of the diesel e-series chassis business for awhile because the 6.0 was so bad. In fact there was a national class-action lawsuit against Ford because of that motor.

Ford Defective 6.0L Engine Class Action Lawsuit

Since then many FD's and ambulance services have either gone with gas motors or medium and heavy duty chassis. I have heard the Ford Triton V10 gas motor is a dependable engine, plus no regeneration or urea with gas.

My experience with regen has been with 2 different Chevy 4500's (which Chevy quit making ) The regen feature gives you plenty of warning of when the vehicle needs to go into regeneration. You can regen by either driving the vehicle above 30MPH until the regen cycle is complete or park it, activate the regen cycle, and let 'er run. In 3 or 4 years (whenever they added the regen feature) I have never experienced a malfunction or shutdown due to the regen system.

The regen has in the C4500 has three different warning lights; Green, yellow, and red. Green was a "Hey, might be a good idea to drive me" light. Yellow was a "Hey dummy, get on the road!" Red was a "Do it now or I'm gonna quit on ya" light. I have only seen red once, when the crew before me was unable (or unwilling) to do the proper procedure.

Speaking of procedure, at my previous FD we had a policy dealing with the regen cycle. Due to the very short distance to and from the hospital, and all the side streets where we couldn't maintain speed, we were required by policy to take the rig out of service and drive it down the highway when the GREEN light came on. This usually only lasted about 15 minutes.

Where I currently work we have longer transport times and a single run will take care of regen.

Not having experience with the Ford regen, I can't say for sure what happened, but it sounds like driver (or dept if lack of policy) error.

 

[UnionPmedic]

LOL, our ford e-series Horton has 20K on the clock over 5 years and has been nothing but problems. I think the turbocharger is about ready to go this time around..

Turbos frequently fail on the 6.0.

If this was them running out of urea, then that's a problem with the crew, fleet mechanic, or whoever is responsible for maintenance on the vehicles.

^^^^

 

[AD Marc]

It's a 6.4, but same deal.