And we're wondering what happened to what we asked for.
In true municipal fashion we asked for a small, lightweight vehicle with a maximum height of 6'6" (this is a Paramedic first response unit, not an ambulance). We needed some extra seats in the back and enough room for what we carry.
The folks who would have to work on it if it breaks down were in the loop and approved. Everyone was onboard.
Then the bids came in and somewhere along the line the entire design had been changed.
The unit is too long, too tall and has none of the features needed to serve its primary goal.
In additional to all that is missing we have tons of space you can't access, features and extras we'll never use and the chassis and motor far exceed our needs.
Yet no one will step forward and explain what happened, where the disconnect was, where the requests of the line personnel who will use the unit were disregarded for this...this...THING.
But here it is. It's ours now. Brand new and that isn't nothing.
We'll rearrange the extra shelves someone thinks were a good idea and hopefully send them back for a credit. We can use flashlights to light up a scene that isn't directly in front or to the side. We can use the extra features to help out around town, towing forklifts or pulling cars out of ditches.
We're going to take these new rigs and love them because that's what we got.
It isn't anything close to what we need, but it's what we've got.
So we'll make it work.
No photos here, but watch the Facebook and Twitter feeds in the weeks to come as we put them in service.
-HM
In true municipal fashion we asked for a small, lightweight vehicle with a maximum height of 6'6" (this is a Paramedic first response unit, not an ambulance). We needed some extra seats in the back and enough room for what we carry.
The folks who would have to work on it if it breaks down were in the loop and approved. Everyone was onboard.
Then the bids came in and somewhere along the line the entire design had been changed.
The unit is too long, too tall and has none of the features needed to serve its primary goal.
In additional to all that is missing we have tons of space you can't access, features and extras we'll never use and the chassis and motor far exceed our needs.
Yet no one will step forward and explain what happened, where the disconnect was, where the requests of the line personnel who will use the unit were disregarded for this...this...THING.
But here it is. It's ours now. Brand new and that isn't nothing.
We'll rearrange the extra shelves someone thinks were a good idea and hopefully send them back for a credit. We can use flashlights to light up a scene that isn't directly in front or to the side. We can use the extra features to help out around town, towing forklifts or pulling cars out of ditches.
We're going to take these new rigs and love them because that's what we got.
It isn't anything close to what we need, but it's what we've got.
So we'll make it work.
No photos here, but watch the Facebook and Twitter feeds in the weeks to come as we put them in service.
-HM
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