I'm a volunteer paramedic in a fire station in Idaho and also volunteer as a disaster responder with the American Red Cross. Additionally I pursue backpacking, rock climbing, and mountaineering as a hobby. We need a good all terrain, all weather rescue truck so I've decided to build one. Overall I think a H1 wagon would be a great vehicle for the job, naturally I have a few questions. There are two options, one is to buy a used H1 or buy a new H1 Alpha. Is the Duramax diesel and Allison transmission a significant improvement? Which vehicle would be best suited for operating at elevated altutudes? Say 12,000 feet above sea level. Would the turbo provide enough air to keep the truck running? Would there be a significant loss of power at that altitude? To maximize the vehicles versatility I'd need to have a roof rack. How much weight can I put on top of the rack before I start seriously affecting the center of gravity. What are some essential modifications I need to make to the vehicle to run it off road and not get stuck as easily? Time spent winching and digging is time lost responding to an incident. The truck would also need to be outfitted with multiple radios, light bar, siren, flashers, work lights, driving lights, and other electrical accessories. Do I need to install a second alternator or do H1's already come with 2? How many batteries does a H1 come with? Can the truck be serviced at any GM dealer or does it have to go to a Hummer specific dealer? What's the overall range of the truck with a full fuel load? Originally I had considered modifying an Excurion for the job but it seems to me that a H1 would require less modifications to the truck and therefore could be kept closer to stock resulting in greater reliability. This truck is not going to be a toy, I need to build something that I can rely on to get the job done. So far the H1 seems to have what I'm looking for.

 

i'd say you're right on with getting an H1 wagon, there are no mods needed to start offroading from day one. as for roof racks, not sure how much you'd offset the center of gravity with a typical load that you can't fit inside, but spread evenly i think you could put a lot up there with no impact. the skill of the driver has as much to do with getting stuck as the quality of the vehicle, but the H1 gives even the most inexperienced driver a head start. the duramax provides more power, and the allison is pretty bulletproof, but as for how well they work at elevation, i can't help you there. distance on 2 full tanks will depend on how and where you're driving, but the standard 8 mpg that H1s are tagged with is inaccurate, it's more like 11-13 on the non-alpha's (nobody in our group has an alpha - yet). i think the H1 comes with 2 batteries, but that may have changed as well. not sure on alternator's either, but most of the owners in our group could light up small cities with their lighting, and have stock electrical systems.

 

Just purely based on what I know about turbos and superchargers from flying aircraft with them, the forced induction will provide sea level power at a higher altitude by increasing the cylinder pressures to that of sea level. This works up to a certain point, then there isn't quite enough air to maintain that pressure because the boosting mechanism is operating at it's maximum capacity. This altidue is higher than you can drive though, somewhere around 20,000 feet or so. I would recommend a vehicle with a turbo or supercharger if you are going to be driving at high altitudes on a regular basis.

 

I don't regularly do real high altitude stuff. Last summer though I went to the rockies in Colorado as part of a ground based search and rescue group. 2 rock climbers fell, one broke his back the other sustained a bad head injury. They had a SAT phone that still worked but their GPS was trashed. We knew about where they were but weather grounded the choppers. 2 of us wound up attempting to go in in my 05 Jeep Wrangler. It's a long wheelbase Rubicon. A capable truck for sure but no room for a litter and cramped. We did wind up finding them and were able to keep them alive until choppers could come in. My idea is to mount a stokes litter (basically a basket) between the rear seats extending into the cargo area. It won't be the most comfortable ride out but it's better than nothing. I also had trouble operating the Jeep, we were at 10,900 feet ASL. I let the truck idle for 2 days because I was afraid if I shut it down it wouldn't restart. Not an ideal situation by a long shot, driving it was also hairy because it's a stick. Very difficult to finesse it without burning the clutch. I'm ready now to build an all out SAR truck. Lynch Hummer has a red H1 Alpha wagon with lockers and a winch already on it. I may check that out. I talked to a local GMC dealer and he told me that the Duramax has a twin alternator option, if the H1 runs a single they can put on the twin alternator kit. He also said he could service anything on the vehicle.

 

The nice thing about using the H1 is that the military uses it for similar type missions, abliet thiers is to cause casualties, not rescue them. The soft top ambulance version has the litter set up just like you are thinking. Thiers has a two tier arrangement and the roofline is slightly higher then the standard soft top to allow for access to the top casualty. One thing you may want to look into is an aftermarket hard top. When I was in Iraq, we refitted some with a fiberglass hardtop that was about a foot taller then the standard hardtop. This extra space can be fitted with storage containers, or allow a raised litter carrier so you can use the space below it for storage as well. Plus, it will allow for more space if you need to provide aid to the victom.

 

Your good work is greatly appreciated !!! Thanks for being there.

 

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 *** 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.

 

It's just an idea, and I don't know how feasible it is, but maybe you could go down to a National Guard or reserve station and ask if you could look at thier ambulance. Try to find one that has a soft top because it will be more like what you will find in a H1. The hi back hard top ambulances are nice, but I dont think you could find one outside of the military, or buy that body kit from AM General. This would also give you the oppertunity to talk shop with the medics who use them and find out what thier complaints or sugestions would be to improve the design. Again, in this post 9/11 world, this may not be a feasible idea, but it's worth a shot.

 

I know a few guys in the Army National Guard. Only thing I don't like about the ambulance body is the width. Sometimes a Wrangler is a squeeze, a H1 will definetely sustain some scratches and dings. Probably the best solution is to use a wagon and just manage space effectively. Build some racks in the back to stack gear, mount controls overhead where feasible, put things like fuel, water, climbing gear, etc. on the roof. I have a few Pelican cases that would be right at home outside. There's all kinds of things to use to maximize the space. For instance there are "backpacks" that hang off the seatback. I could hang those and put things like bandages, forceps, scissors, etc. in those so they're handy. Then there are racks to mount things like shovels, axes, etc. outside the rig. It'll take some planning but it can work. Instead of having one big oxygen bottle I could use a few smaller ones. Actually I had an idea on those, I'm going to see how much space there is under the back seats and put a spare one under each if possible. Just need to be creative about utilizing what I have. After thinking about it I could realistically transport myself and another rescuer in, then take 3 people out. One in the litter then 2 in the spare seats. Likely I'd be in the back and have the other guy drive. If push came to shove we could probably cram a few more people in the back by moving more stuff to the roof rack. It is an emergency vehicle, everyone I've encountered so far is grateful to get out alive and would happily endure some discomfort. I'm pretty stoked about this. Maybe my National Guard buddies will let me take a HMMWV out and flog it.

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/HMMWV...QQcmdZViewItem

For 2 grand + shipping you can buy an ambulance body

I hope 2 own 2 Hummers someday, one for keeping nice and another for pounding on, having the ambulance body would be nice for hunting trips