Braun Industries will deliver 49 new ambulances to the city of Detroit over the next 5 years.
VAN WERT, Ohio — Braun Industries is pleased to announce that they will be manufacturing the new ambulance units for the Detroit Fire Department. The city of Detroit placed an order for 49 new Chief XL ambulances. Under the five-year contract, Braun Industries delivered 14 new units by the end of 2017. The remaining 35 new ambulances will be built and delivered over the next 4 years, with 9 in 2018, 9 in 2019, 9 in 2020, and the final 8 in 2021. All ambulances will be the popular Braun Chief XL, a model that delivers one of the highest usable payloads in the Fire & EMS industry.
Chad Brown, VP of Sales & Marketing at Braun Industries says, “We at Braun are extremely excited and proud to deliver the city of Detroit their new Braun ambulances. “[We’ve] worked with the city of Detroit to design and build a purpose-built ambulance for the paramedics and EMTs of Detroit. We look forward to continuing this great relationship for years to come!”
The Chief XL is Braun’s number one selling ambulance model. It is available in Type I or Type III configurations and boasts 72” of headroom height and 169” in length. As with all Braun ambulance models, the Chief XL is made using SolidBody™ Construction, a process unique to Braun that creates the body as one integrated module from .125” flat sheet, marine grade aluminum. The floor, roof, sides and doors are all constructed from brake formed parts with fully welded seams, reducing weight and adding strength. This helps the ambulance absorb impact, minimize transferred damage, and provide added safety. Both safety and space were important factors to the city of Detroit, making this model an exceptional choice.
The city of Detroit units are mounted on the Ford F-550 chassis. The layout/design of the module was developed with Detroit’s first responders in mind. Each ambulance features customized interior console layouts, customized exterior compartment sizes, and customized interior cabinets. They also include Braun’s exclusive E-Z O2 lift oxygen cylinder lift and storage compartment, Havis docking stations and mounts for the console, and Ferno InX cots and mounts for patient transport and loading.
The Detroit Fire Department’s staff of over 1,000 firefighters and medical technicians operate out of 34 fire stations. They respond to calls for the entire city - over 165,000 calls annually – and provide EMS services as well. Dave Fornell, Deputy Fire Commissioner of Detroit, says that they wanted “EMS [crews] to have the same level equipment as the fire department.” In a city as big as Detroit, having durable units is a must. Fornell and his colleagues put together a committee, weighed their options with various demonstrations, and checked in with New Orleans and Boston to get operational and maintenance information on their Braun units before making a final decision. The committee wanted a unit “that they could be proud of,” Fornell said.
For Fornell, it’s all about “understanding Detroit.” The Deputy Commissioner said that Braun’s exclusive EZ Glide™ door is a huge safety advantage, plus the aluminum construction makes the unit a lot more durable. Both were very important to the city. Their fire department is one of the busiest in the country, so having a unit that can keep up with them is important.
Regarding the Braun units that have already been delivered to date, Fornell says “Feedback from people is great!” One of Detroit’s EMTs posted to Facebook, saying “Nothing but respect and gratitude to whoever had a hand in making [these units] happen. Every detail is fantastic and well thought out with us, the medics who will spend countless hours in them, in mind. If I had a wish list of what I wanted in an ambulance, this rig has it all.”
For more information about the City of Detroit’s new Braun Chief XL ambulances, please contact Chad Brown, VP of Sales & Marketing at ChadB@BraunAmbulances.com or 419-232-7054.
About Braun Industries:
Braun Industries, Inc. is a leading ambulance manufacturer that has been designing and building custom ambulances that are “Built for Life” since 1972. Braun’s ambulance models offer exclusive innovations such as SolidBody™ Construction, the EZ-Glide™ Sliding Door, the MasterTech™ IV Multiplex Electrical Control System, and the VitalMax™ Lighting System. Braun is a member of the National Truck and Equipment Association (NTEA), the Ambulance Manufacturers Division (AMD), and the National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA); they are also a woman-owned company. Their 2017 lineup features 8 unique ambulance models, including the Express Plus, Express, Responder, Signature Series, Patriot, Super Chief, Chief XL, and Liberty. The company is headquartered in Van Wert, OH on a sprawling campus of 23 acres. The campus includes a 105,000 square foot Manufacturing Plant and 49,500 square foot Service Facility & Corporate Offices building.
For more information, visit www.BraunAmbulances.com.
About the Detroit Fire Department
The Detroit Fire Department (DFD) provides fire protection and emergency medical services to the city of Detroit, Michigan. They operate 48 fire companies out of 34 fire stations located throughout the city. The department has over 800 firefighters in all ranks. The Detroit Fire Department responds to approximately 165,000 emergency calls annually, with over 80% being medical emergencies and approximately 9,000 working structural fires.