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SAR4LIFE -> RE: Right truck for the job? (6/7/2006 2:18:05 PM)
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I do like the idea of raising the roof. Definetely something to think about. H1's are really laid out different. I had a chance to look at a wagon yesterday. They're huge on the outside but the way the interior is laid out requires some thought as to what goes where. Up front there is a ton of room to mount radios, which is good. In the back though is where things get a little tricky. Theres plenty of room to mount a stokes litter between the seats, however working from the back seats on the patient is going to be a trick. Theres really not a whole lot of room to maneuver. I kneeled on the seat with the door shut and it'll work. It's tight but do able. On the plus side since it is so cramped it'll be easier for me to stabilize my body when the going gets rough. It looks like there will be enough overhead clearance to hang an IV effectively. Overall I like it. I looked around on the internet for some aftermarket parts for the H1. Theres a spare tire mount that drops to the ground. Definetely on my list of things to get. I also like the 6 foot basket carriers on top. With some welding I can put light tabs all the way around to run lights. It will still leave me enough room to mount the light bar up front and 2 swiveling remote controlled searchlights in the back. Up front I'm going to mount two hand operated search lights through the roof. There are also plenty of spots on the body to flush mount LED's and the headlight and taillight housings are big enoug to mount a strobe into. The truck I looked at had a hydraulic winch on it. That's cool as heck. Now to find the right truck. I'd really like yellow because it's very visible. Red would be a good second choice.
Your thanks is appreciated. SAR and helping people is what I love. Being outdoors is great, and I'd want somebody to help me if I was hurt in the back country. It's also a huge adrenaline rush. When I'm at the station and the call comes in adrenaline starts pumping. Then running to the ambulance and hauling ass with lights and sirens. Nothing else like it. You never know what you're going to walk into. Could be a minor fender bender or we have to cut people out of their car. Could be a small kitchen fire, or an out of control blaze. I went on a call out once, it was pouring rain. There was a 2 car pile up, semi versus SUV. The trucker walked away but the woman in the SUV was trapped. Firemen were cutting the car apart and I was hanging upside down through the windshield starting an IV, applying pressure bandages, and all that. Best night of my life, theres a huge sense of satisfaction when you bring someone back from the brink of dying. It energizes me, makes me feel I could do anything. Another time a climber fell down a crevasse 75 feet. Shatterd his legs, broke his pelvis, neck, and right arm. If he hadn't been wearing a helmet he would have died. His climbing partner came down for help and 8 of us started trekking in there. He was trapped for 15 hours before we got to him. The gratitude when you show up, start the IV and give him some pain meds makes all the work of climbing up there with hundreds of pounds of equipment worthwhile. We got him off the mountain and to a hospital. 2 years later we climbed Rainier together. It was great. Everything I do is volunteer. The truck I'm going to build comes out of my pocket. It's worth it though if it will make a difference. I was in New Orleans after Katrina. I rode with EMS units down there and did body retrieval for 2 months. That was bad, I hate retrieving bodies. It makes me feel like I failed, even though there was nothing I could do. It's the same feeling when somebody is hurt and by the time you get to them they're gone. It's a disappointment so big it's hard to put into words. Thankfully my business partner understands what I do and runs things when I'm not around. Right now he'd have to chain me to a desk.
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