Rob: If you will PM me your e-mail addy I'll be glad to send it on to you no need to sacrifice your children, it's just a manual...
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Rob: If you will PM me your e-mail addy I'll be glad to send it on to you no need to sacrifice your children, it's just a manual...
Congrats! If you want to change your user name on RR to match your new callsign, send Lindsay Blanton an email.
DONE! Thanks Bob, I was wondering about that.
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The install looks great but I have several question. Pardon my ignorance but as a paramedic, would you not be responding in an ambulance in order to transport a patient to hospital? In Canada (or Ontario) at least, paramedics/EMTs do not respond in personal vehicles (nor do fire fighters). Having a PPV as a personal vehicle with multiple radios, sirens, lightbars, etc is a very foreign concept to me as we are not used to such things in Canada. Paramedics work out of a station, drive in ambulances provided by the EMS service they work for. Same thing for firefighters. In the US it seems to be common for EMTs/FFs to drive personal vehicles to calls (and they are allowed to have lights/sirens in these vehicles).
emd001
Member
Yes it is very common, atleast around here anyway. Most departments are volunteer departments. Meaning that I don't have a shift at the fire station, instead I carry my gear in my truck and carry a pager. When a call comes out, if I am available I respond from where I am (be it bed, restaurant, couch, etc...). The EMTs around here are also volunteer because the ambulances can be a pretty good distance away, so that way we can have medical personel on scene quickly with a decent amount of equipment, even though the ambulance might be 20+ minutes away.
@acura No pardon necessary, you aren't "ignorant" ignorance is a result of ignoring information, you have inquired and it is my duty to explain what and why.
First, YES I am a Paramedic and I earn my living working on a regular ambulance just as you say, in a vehicle provided by my employer. I do, however, volunteer my services as a firefighter and paramedic when I am off duty. The area where I live is remote and any medical response can take 30 minutes or more because these ambulances are so far away. So I have purchased medical equipment and a response vehicle to fill in that gap.
Second, Because of the distances and the large area that we serve it is a much better use of resources to get volunteer "A" to go get the apparatus while volunteer "B" quickly makes their way to the scene. Otherwise a response would be delayed while "A" waited on "B" to get to the station to respond.
Third, In the US there are laws that govern emergency response and especially private citizens using emergency warning devices. Some places it is OK, others it is forbidden. Ironicly, where I work it is forbidden and where I live it is actually encouraged. BUT Emergency vehicle operators must take and pass Emergency Vehicle Operations Courses every year.
Lastly, Some locations use an intercept program where all ambulances are Basic Life Support. If an Advanced Life Support response is necessary (heart attack, asthma etc) the ambulance responds and the paramedic intercepts the crew in what is commonly called a "Fly Car". New York uses this system extensively because it is cost effective.
So there you have it in a nutshell, Some services have a paramedic on every truck and plenty to go around. Other services have only a few paramedics so they spread them around, and our little community has an ambulance comming from a long way off and just a handful of volunteers to keep the patient alive until it gets there.
Our customs and laws may be a bit different but we arrive at the same conclusion: use the resources that you have to save as many lives as you can.
The other side of the coin: I love to chase storms and reporting severe weather to the local Skywarn nets and the National Weather Service and that means more radios! BUT I do NOT use emergency lights and sirens to chase storms, that would be illegal.
First, YES I am a Paramedic and I earn my living working on a regular ambulance just as you say, in a vehicle provided by my employer. I do, however, volunteer my services as a firefighter and paramedic when I am off duty. The area where I live is remote and any medical response can take 30 minutes or more because these ambulances are so far away. So I have purchased medical equipment and a response vehicle to fill in that gap.
Second, Because of the distances and the large area that we serve it is a much better use of resources to get volunteer "A" to go get the apparatus while volunteer "B" quickly makes their way to the scene. Otherwise a response would be delayed while "A" waited on "B" to get to the station to respond.
Third, In the US there are laws that govern emergency response and especially private citizens using emergency warning devices. Some places it is OK, others it is forbidden. Ironicly, where I work it is forbidden and where I live it is actually encouraged. BUT Emergency vehicle operators must take and pass Emergency Vehicle Operations Courses every year.
Lastly, Some locations use an intercept program where all ambulances are Basic Life Support. If an Advanced Life Support response is necessary (heart attack, asthma etc) the ambulance responds and the paramedic intercepts the crew in what is commonly called a "Fly Car". New York uses this system extensively because it is cost effective.
So there you have it in a nutshell, Some services have a paramedic on every truck and plenty to go around. Other services have only a few paramedics so they spread them around, and our little community has an ambulance comming from a long way off and just a handful of volunteers to keep the patient alive until it gets there.
Our customs and laws may be a bit different but we arrive at the same conclusion: use the resources that you have to save as many lives as you can.
The other side of the coin: I love to chase storms and reporting severe weather to the local Skywarn nets and the National Weather Service and that means more radios! BUT I do NOT use emergency lights and sirens to chase storms, that would be illegal.
Well I got tired of waiting. I ordered the faceplates for the rest of the console over 3 weeks ago and they still aren't here. My luck hasn't changed one bit, still BAD. So I decided to recycle the siren faceplate and work on the storage console.
The angle area on the front of the console is where I will mount the control head for the Southern Vehicle Products SA-430. The top will feature a folding armrest similar to a conventional console but I am going to hand tool the leather that will cover the armrest pad. Any suggestions for a design?
My old shop teacher, Coach Berry would be proud, not because of my construction but because I remembered, "Finishing is 90% of your project because good finishing, especially good sanding, will cover up a lot of the mistakes you made in construction."
Tomorrow I'll get this thing finished and mounted but the armrest pad is going to take a long time, how about a Sistine Chapel rendering of God creating the sun and a banner:
God made PARAMEDICS because FIREFIGHTERS need a hero too!
The angle area on the front of the console is where I will mount the control head for the Southern Vehicle Products SA-430. The top will feature a folding armrest similar to a conventional console but I am going to hand tool the leather that will cover the armrest pad. Any suggestions for a design?
My old shop teacher, Coach Berry would be proud, not because of my construction but because I remembered, "Finishing is 90% of your project because good finishing, especially good sanding, will cover up a lot of the mistakes you made in construction."
Tomorrow I'll get this thing finished and mounted but the armrest pad is going to take a long time, how about a Sistine Chapel rendering of God creating the sun and a banner:
God made PARAMEDICS because FIREFIGHTERS need a hero too!
You are my hero buddy !!!
Raptor05121
Member
This is absolutely ridiculous. That is, without a doubt, the cleanest, most factory-looking and professional design/installation I have ever seen in my life. I'd almost hate to ask how much it all costs and secondly, where can I sign up to whatever paid you so much! Haha.
Thanks Raptor but almost everything came out of my old Blazer, off e-Bay or out of my scrap pile. There's less than $700 in this project now including the $300 to refurb the Kenwood '90 series radios that I will install whenever the faceplates get here.
Whenever that will be.....
Here is the SA-430 Siren control panel & the faceplate I made for it:
The console siren & storage area has it's second coat of bedliner and should be ready to install tomorrow if the odor has subsided. My humblest appreciation to my Lieutenant, Eric Ross for showing me some posts using bedliner for a finish, I LOVE THIS STUFF!
Whenever that will be.....
Here is the SA-430 Siren control panel & the faceplate I made for it:
The console siren & storage area has it's second coat of bedliner and should be ready to install tomorrow if the odor has subsided. My humblest appreciation to my Lieutenant, Eric Ross for showing me some posts using bedliner for a finish, I LOVE THIS STUFF!
Raptor05121
Member
I'd love to see a walk-around video of your truck once its all completed. Lights too, of course!
RadioCopFFFR
Member
PM Sent
Mount the rear storage / siren part of the console to the floorplate and wire it up.
Yes the siren is upside down. When my arm is resting on the console the controls are right under my fingertips, just more "natural' in the inverted position.
The rear part of the console is 2" narrower than the rest of the console so I split the difference in mounting. Why, you say? Later on when I finally get caught up I plan to go with a totally on board computer system and the wireless keyboard will store in a slot on the side of the console. So... off to Tandy Leather friday to get some good tooling hide for this armrest.
Yes the siren is upside down. When my arm is resting on the console the controls are right under my fingertips, just more "natural' in the inverted position.
The rear part of the console is 2" narrower than the rest of the console so I split the difference in mounting. Why, you say? Later on when I finally get caught up I plan to go with a totally on board computer system and the wireless keyboard will store in a slot on the side of the console. So... off to Tandy Leather friday to get some good tooling hide for this armrest.
KJ4NFP
Member
Ahhh progress...
I may find myself out and about shopping for my own new tahoe this weekend. I'm flowing with inspiration.
I may find myself out and about shopping for my own new tahoe this weekend. I'm flowing with inspiration.
Faceplates
Over 4 weeks ago I ordered faceplates for the TK-x90 control heads and a switch panel. Low and behold they finally arrived! I managed to find another faceplate courtesy of Brian (and Adam) whom I met through this forum. Thanks guys! So here is what we have so far:
Mounted to the front console:
The RF decks will mount in a cabinet in the back kind of like a command console but smaller and confined to one side instead of taking up the entire cargo area. Stay tuned I'm starting that part of the project this week.
Over 4 weeks ago I ordered faceplates for the TK-x90 control heads and a switch panel. Low and behold they finally arrived! I managed to find another faceplate courtesy of Brian (and Adam) whom I met through this forum. Thanks guys! So here is what we have so far:
Mounted to the front console:
The RF decks will mount in a cabinet in the back kind of like a command console but smaller and confined to one side instead of taking up the entire cargo area. Stay tuned I'm starting that part of the project this week.
KD0LDK
Member
Drool
norcalbusa
Member
Coming together nicely, well done! Consider some cut out, black, semi-rigid foam around those control heads to fill the gaps?
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