The Commission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services (CAAS) formed a Ground Vehicle Standard Revision Committee to develop V3.0 of the GVS document. Based on industry feedback, this Committee has developed a list of proposed changes to V2.0.
To ensure that anyone with an interest in the medical transportation industry has a voice in the Standard revision process, CAAS has now posted the proposed changes for public comment. These proposed changes will be posted for 60 days, commencing January 7, 2022. Interested parties who care to comment on the changes should complete the online feedback form and submit their input during this public comment period.
The GVS Committee will review all submissions received during the period and will consider each of the comments received. Following this first round review, a second 60-day public comment period will be held to give further opportunity to comment on any items that may have been changed from the first draft as part of the process. The CAAS GVS V3.0 document has a scheduled effective date of July 1, 2022.
The American Ambulance Association and the Commission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services recently reported that a global semiconductor shortage has crippled the production of motor vehicle chassis—including those used by ambulance manufacturers and remounters. Ford Motor Company, which supplies approximately 70% of the ambulance chassis used in the US, halted production in mid-April. The end is not yet in sight, with the shortage of the critically important microchips predicted to run into 2022.
Join ambulance fleet experts from across the country to learn what your EMS agency can do NOW to extend the lifecycle of your vehicles and minimize the impact of the chip and chassis shortage. Additionally, learn how the American Ambulance Association is working to drive federal, state, and local advocacy efforts to ensure that first responders are at the front of the line when production resumes. Don’t miss your chance to learn from ambulance fleet luminaries how they keep their crews rolling, 24/7!
May 21, 2021 | By Mina Kaji and Amanda Maile | Read Full Story
“Without those chassis, the production of ambulances essentially slows down dramatically,” American Ambulance Association Spokesman Mark Van Arnam said. “So that becomes a public safety issue.”
Chassis inventories were already at “historically low levels” due to coronavirus shutting down manufacturing plants, Van Arnam explained.
In order to make an ambulance, manufacturers need to first construct a chassis, or frame, to build it on.
“An ambulance chassis contains dozens and dozens of microchips — more microchips than the average F-150,” Van Arnam said.
From the American Ambulance Association & The Commission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services (CAAS) Ground Vehicle Standards
By Mark Van Arnam, Administrator, CAAS GVS
A global semiconductor shortage is crippling the production of motor vehicles both in the US and worldwide. Ford Motor Company, which supplies approximately 70% of the ambulance chassis used in the US, shut down production at various plants that produce the E series, T series, and F series ambulance chassis in mid-April. These scheduled shutdowns continue and are already approaching the 6 to 7-week mark. The end is not yet in sight, with the shortage of the critical microchips predicted to run into 2022. Ford currently predicts an overall production loss of over 1.1 million units in 2021.
These production shutdowns by Ford and other chassis manufacturers have created a major supply chain interruption of chassis needed to produce ambulances in North America. Many Final Stage Ambulance Manufacturers (FSAMs) and Remounters are reporting chassis shortages that are worse than those experienced in the 2020 pandemic period when those OEM truck plants shut down for COVID reasons.
Both Ford and GM report that the duration and extent of the semiconductor shortage and resulting production shutdowns are not yet known and “the situation changes daily”. As of mid-May, many FSAMs are reporting significant ambulance production slowdowns due to chassis shortages, with complete shutdowns of some ambulance assembly lines highly likely in the near future.
Savvy contractors know that GPS fleet management solutions are key for maximizing productivity, efficiency, safety, customer satisfaction, and more. In today’s modern world, they are adding new technology to take those benefits to the next level. Learn how the Lytx Fleet Tracking Map provides immediate fleet activity including geo-fencing, fuel economy, how to calculate stops in a day, and route.
AAA and Class Action Refund are pleased to announce that we have partnered to assist members in the Automotive Parts Settlement. As you may know, there is a class action lawsuit pending in the U.S. alleging that dozens of parts manufacturers conspired to fix, maintain, and artificially raise the price of motor vehicle component parts. As a result of the defendants’ alleged conduct, businesses and consumers who purchased or leased new vehicles (not for resale) containing those parts or who indirectly purchased replacement parts (not for resale) from the Defendants may have paid more than they should have. The proposed settlement provides $1.2 Billion in settlement funds to purchasers and lessees for qualified vehicles from 1990 to 2019 in the qualified states below.
Arizona
Arkansas
California
District of Columbia
Florida
Hawaii
Iowa
Kansas
Maine
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Oregon
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Utah
Vermont
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Class Action Refund has developed certain proprietary software that identifies the parts eligible for refund from your leased vehicle VIN numbers. They are well qualified to make sure that you obtain the maximum restitution that you are entitled to receive under the settlement. Class Action Refund has over 17 years of experience in managing complex claims, specializes in the recovery of antitrust settlements for businesses and can ease the burden of self-filing. Please understand that the life cycle of a claim can take several years to settle and may require various types of documentation and correspondence with the settlement claims administrator in order to substantiate the claim. Class Action Refund will manage the entire filing process and inform you of milestones as necessary, so that you may stay focused on your core business.
Additionally, there are NO OUT-OF-POCKET COSTS TO AAA MEMBERS. Class Action Refund will reduce its normal 33% contingency fee of funds recovered to 25% for AAA members. If no recovery is made, then no fee is charged.
Any member interested in availing themselves of Class Action Refund’s recovery management services, for the Automotive Parts Settlement can quickly and easily sign up by entering this URL into their browser: https://info.classactionrefund.com/112.
Mr. Hugh Bellingreri, Account Manager, is the contact person for AAA members. Please call Hugh directly at 914-630-5116 or you can reach him by email at hbellingreri@classactionrefund.com with any questions.
AAA and Class Action Refund are pleased to announce that we have partnered to assist members in the Automotive Parts Settlement. As you may know, there is a class action lawsuit pending in the U.S. alleging that dozens of parts manufacturers conspired to fix, maintain, and artificially raise the price of motor vehicle component parts. As a result of the defendants’ alleged conduct, businesses and consumers who purchased or leased new vehicles (not for resale) containing those parts or who indirectly purchased replacement parts (not for resale) from the Defendants may have paid more than they should have. The proposed settlement provides $1.2 Billion in settlement funds to purchasers and lessees for qualified vehicles from 1990 to 2019 in the qualified states below.
Arizona
Arkansas
California
District of Columbia
Florida
Hawaii
Iowa
Kansas
Maine
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Oregon
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Utah
Vermont
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Class Action Refund has developed certain proprietary software that identifies the parts eligible for refund from your leased vehicle VIN numbers. They are well qualified to make sure that you obtain the maximum restitution that you are entitled to receive under the settlement. Class Action Refund has over 17 years of experience in managing complex claims, specializes in the recovery of antitrust settlements for businesses and can ease the burden of self-filing. Please understand that the life cycle of a claim can take several years to settle and may require various types of documentation and correspondence with the settlement claims administrator in order to substantiate the claim. Class Action Refund will manage the entire filing process and inform you of milestones as necessary, so that you may stay focused on your core business.
Additionally, there are NO OUT-OF-POCKET COSTS TO AAA MEMBERS. Class Action Refund will reduce its normal 33% contingency fee of funds recovered to 25% for AAA members. If no recovery is made, then no fee is charged.
Any member interested in availing themselves of Class Action Refund’s recovery management services, for the Automotive Parts Settlement can quickly and easily sign up by entering this URL into their browser: https://info.classactionrefund.com/112.
Mr. Hugh Bellingreri, Account Manager, is the contact person for AAA members. Please call Hugh directly at 914-630-5116 or you can reach him by email at hbellingreri@classactionrefund.com with any questions.
