WCEAA

TODAY HAS BEEN ANOTHER DAY OF AMBULANCE LET DOWN STARTING THE DAY AMBULANCE 22 MADE A LOUD WHINNING NOISE WHILE ACCELERATING AND AN ODOR OF BURNING OIL WAS SMELLED LATER AT THE ED A LARGE PUDDLE OF OIL WAS OBSERVED ON THE GROUND WERE 22 HAD SAT CHECKING THE OIL LEVEL FOUND NO OIL ON THE DIP STICK AND OIL ON THE FLOOR AND UNDERCARRIAGE IT WAS REMOVED FROM SERVICE 4 QUARTS OF OIL ADDED AND IT WAS PARKED OUTSIDE AND PLUGGED IN  WHILE PARKED ONLY A SMALL AMOUNT OF OIL LEAKED FROM THE VEHICLE I KNOW THIS TRUCK HAS AN EXSISTING LEAK THE PROBLEM IS I DO NOT KNOW IF IT IS LEAKING FROM A NEW SOURCE OR IF THIS IS THE SAME PROBLEM EITHER WAY IT NEEDS ADDRESSED . THEN AFTER SOME TIME 61 WAS BROUGHT TO STATION AND PLACED INTO SERVICE WHEN IT ARRIVED IT WAS FAR FROM READY FOR DUTY AND THE CREW SPENT MUCH TIME CLEANING AND REPLACING EQUIPMENT TO MAKE IT FIT  THANKFULLY  THERE WAS NO EMERGENCY IN HUNDRED WHILE THIS TRUCK SAT UNREADY AS THE DAY PROGRESSED THE PROBLEMS SEEMED TO FADE AWAY BUT THEY ARE NEVER TRUELY GONE AND 61 QUICKLY REMINDED US OF THIS WHEN IT WOULD NOT START FOR AN EMERGENCY RUN IN SMITHFIELD 61 WAS PLACED OUT OF SERVICE AND 21 ANSWERED THE CALL TO SMITHFIELD WHILE OUT OF SERVICE THE FD RESPONDED TO A WOMEN WHO FELL AGAIN THANKFULLY THE FD HAD A CREW AND THIS WOMEN DID NOT LAY LONG ON THE COLD WET GROUND WAITING FOR HER RESCUERS FROM WHOM KNOWS WERE GRANDVIEW ,TYLER CO. ? ANYWAY IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THE FUSE ON THE CORD REEL HAD TRIPPED FOR WHATEVER REASON WE RESET IT AND PLACED A BATTERY CHARGER ON THE UNIT GETTING IT STARTED AFTER SOME TIME .IT WAS THEN PLACED RELUCTANTLY BACK IN SERVICE  I KNOW OUR TRUCKS ARE OLD AND ATTEMPTS TO KEEP THEM MAINTAINED ARE ONGOING BUT DAYS LIKE TODAY MAKE ME ASK THE QUESTION WHAT IF IT WAS ONE OF YOUR FAMILY MEMBERS NEEDING HELP AND THE AMBULANCE WAS NOT FIT FOR SERVICE OR WOULD NOT START AND CARE WAS DELAYED HOW WOULD YOU FEEL I DON'T HAVE AN  ANSWER TO FIX THE PROBLEM BUT WE AS AN ORGANIZATION NEED TO FIGURE SOMETHING OUT !!!