Addressing the Ford Engine Issue: Insights & Solutions
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CAAS Panel of Commissioners Seeks New Business Representative
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CAAS Announces Interim Administrator for Ground Vehicle Standard (GVS)
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GLENVIEW, ILLINOIS – February 2, 2023 – The Commission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services (CAAS) is pleased to announce that Mark Postma has accepted the position of Interim Administrator for CAAS’s Ground Vehicle Standard. Mark Postma succeeds Mark Van Arnam, who held the Administrator position from the inception of the Ground Vehicle Standard in 2014. Van Arnam leaves CAAS to take on the role of President of the REV Ambulance Group.
CAAS Chair Dale Berry said “CAAS wishes to extend its deep-felt appreciation for the tremendous contributions that Mark Van Arnam has provided over the last 7 years. Tapping into his significant industry expertise and passion for creating standards that improve ground vehicle safety, Mark Van Arnam was instrumental in establishing the CAAS Ground Vehicle Standard as the emergency transportation’s preferred standard. Our industry is safer because of Mark Van Arnam’s commitment and passion.”
In announcing Postma’s new interim role within CAAS, Dale Berry, said; “CAAS is extremely fortunate to have someone with Mark Postma’s experience and leadership abilities to continue the very successful launch and ongoing development of the Ground Vehicle Standard. Mark Postma has been the CAAS GVS Committee Co-Chair since 2016 and has a depth of knowledge that ensures a seamless transition. Mark Postma started as a paramedic over 40 years ago and continues as an esteemed leader in the EMS field.”
About the CAAS Ground Vehicle Standard (GVS)
Starting in 2014, CAAS established a Vehicle Standard Committee to develop consensus-based ground ambulance vehicle standards called GVS. Thanks to the hard work of this broad-based committee, the third significant update to the standard, GVS 3.0, was released in July 2022.
The new ambulance vehicle section of GVS V3.0 contains updates and edits from the prior version, and includes the latest safety, quality, and compliance requirements for new production ambulances. In addition, GVS V3.0 contains a comprehensive Remount Standard. The GVS Remount Standard provides minimum requirements for both Remounters and Remounted Ambulances, including specific requirements for vehicle production processes and quality control.
About the Commission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services (CAAS)
The Commission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services (CAAS) was established in 1993 to encourage and promote quality patient care in America’s medical transportation system. CAAS is an independent Commission that established a comprehensive series of standards for the ambulance service industry. CAAS accreditation signifies that an ambulance service has met the “gold standard” determined by the ambulance industry to be essential in a modern emergency medical services provider. These standards often exceed those established by state or local regulation. The CAAS standards are designed to increase operational efficiency and clinical quality, while decreasing risk and liability to the organization.
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Commission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services (CAAS)
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Savvik |Ford Vehicles – 3 Day Order Window
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CAAS Releases GVS V3.0 Draft for Public Comment
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.
If you have any questions, please contact Mark Van Arnam, Administrator, CAAS GVS.
Webinar | Ambulance Fleet Tips for Weathering the Chassis Shortage
Ambulance Fleet Tips for Weathering the Chassis Shortage
Webinar | June 23, 2021 | 14:00 ET | Free to AAA Members
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!
Speakers
Drew Morrow
Director of Support Services, Pro EMS
Mark Van Arnam
Administrator, CAAS GVS
Maria Bianchi
CEO, American Ambulance Association
Trampus Gaspard
Senior Director of Logistics, Acadian Companies
ABC | Global microchip shortage impacting ambulance supply
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.
Microchip Shortage to Affect Ambulance Supply
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.
Lytx | Free Fleet Webinar January 28
Sponsored Content from Lytx
Protect Your Brand, Bottom Line and Gain More Visibility into Your Fleet with More Than Just a Map
Free Webinar January 28 at 2:00 ET
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.