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Welcome to Fairfax Underground, a project site designed to improve communication among residents of Fairfax County, VA. Feel free to post anything Northern Virginia residents would find interesting.
Ambulance Chains
Posted by: Colin ()
Date: November 17, 2007 10:12AM

Does anybody know why ambulance's have chains hanging down from the bottom center of them? Sometimes they drag on the ground. They have them all year round? WTF?

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Re: Ambulance Chains
Posted by: Kiev ()
Date: November 17, 2007 10:15AM

for snow

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Re: Ambulance Chains
Posted by: Colin ()
Date: November 17, 2007 10:23AM

Wrong.

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Re: Ambulance Chains
Posted by: Kiev ()
Date: November 17, 2007 10:33AM

for lots of snow

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Re: Ambulance Chains
Posted by: Kiev ()
Date: November 17, 2007 10:33AM

for wet snow

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Re: Ambulance Chains
Posted by: Kiev ()
Date: November 17, 2007 10:33AM

black ice

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Re: Ambulance Chains
Posted by: Kiev ()
Date: November 17, 2007 10:33AM

dead squirrels

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Re: Ambulance Chains
Posted by: Kiev ()
Date: November 17, 2007 10:33AM

its a fetish thing?

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Re: Ambulance Chains
Posted by: Colin ()
Date: November 17, 2007 10:45AM

LOL.

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Re: Ambulance Chains
Posted by: RAT'Z AZZ ()
Date: November 17, 2007 10:59AM

Colin
U R so freakin stupid. They hide them there when they ain't usin them for BDSM with the nurses.DUH

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Re: Ambulance Chains
Posted by: ffxn8v ()
Date: November 17, 2007 11:14AM

To dissapate static electricity that potentially builds up.

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Re: Ambulance Chains
Posted by: duh ()
Date: November 17, 2007 11:14AM

They are a pretty cool invention called "OnSpot" chains...you hit a button on the dash and the chains start spinning under the tire for traction.

You'll also see them on fire engines and some school buses

www.onspot.com

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Re: Ambulance Chains
Posted by: KeepOnTruckin ()
Date: November 17, 2007 05:48PM

YEah, they are called Automatic Tire chains. They go on automatically so you dont have to stop to put them on.

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Re: Ambulance Chains
Posted by: bob ()
Date: November 17, 2007 07:59PM

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA


ffxn8v Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> To dissapate static electricity that potentially
> builds up.

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Re: Ambulance Chains
Posted by: ffxn8v ()
Date: November 17, 2007 08:09PM

Something funny, bob? Got information you want to share?


We get so much ice here, that a set of chains that are dragging underneath an ambulance (wearing out as they drag) will ever see use.

Please tell me when you have EVER seen chains on ambulances in NORVA?

Last time I saw them on any county vehicle, was in the early 80's on school busses. That was before we cancelled the world at the first flake of snow.

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Re: Ambulance Chains
Posted by: manticore ()
Date: November 17, 2007 08:26PM

the chains i've seen have neer looked like that onspot gadget, tho it is really cool

i've heard in VA that the firetrucks aren't allowed to have tire chains on when they drive into the bay cuz it will tear up the concrete, so they have to put them on and take them off again every time they go out. of course, this was heard from the same idiot EMT (of call things) i was dating who claimed that you only had to sit at a red light for a minute and if it didnt turn you could go...

and yeah, i dont think i've ever seen a bus, ambulance, or fire truck in VA with tire chains. i dont think our roads could really handle it anyway, you need a nice concrete with gaps cut in it ever 6 feet for expansion so that the ka-thunk ka-thunk noise you hear for hours driving around on all that flatness can hypnotize you and make you pass out and die. like in michigan.

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Re: Ambulance Chains
Posted by: 496 ()
Date: November 17, 2007 08:46PM

To drag the DOA's back to the hospital....

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Re: Ambulance Chains
Posted by: bob ()
Date: November 17, 2007 09:01PM

They are OnSpots you toad. Any ambulance in the county that utilizes air-bags or is otherwise 'lifted' in the rear is equipped with OnSpots - aka all freightliners for the last 5 years.

http://www.onspot.com/news/Fairfax_County.htm



ffxn8v Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Something funny, bob? Got information you want to
> share?
>
>
> We get so much ice here, that a set of chains that
> are dragging underneath an ambulance (wearing out
> as they drag) will ever see use.
>
> Please tell me when you have EVER seen chains on
> ambulances in NORVA?
>
> Last time I saw them on any county vehicle, was in
> the early 80's on school busses. That was before
> we cancelled the world at the first flake of snow.

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Re: Ambulance Chains
Posted by: duh ()
Date: November 17, 2007 09:22PM

ffxn8v Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Something funny, bob? Got information you want to
> share?
>
>
> We get so much ice here, that a set of chains that
> are dragging underneath an ambulance (wearing out
> as they drag) will ever see use.
>
> Please tell me when you have EVER seen chains on
> ambulances in NORVA?
>
> Last time I saw them on any county vehicle, was in
> the early 80's on school busses. That was before
> we cancelled the world at the first flake of snow.


The Onspot chains don't drag on the street unless they are adjusted improperly or have malfunctioned.

Every FCPS bus carries a set of regular chains and a chock block (to place under the inner tire and drive up on, so you can put the chains on the outer tire).
Granted, they are not used often....but there have been instances in recent years where they have been needed. Like basketball field trips where it starts snowing or the roads start icing late at night...you won't see that on the news unless there is a mishap.

Plus, FCPS has a deal with Uncle Sam to provide use of the school bus fleet, if needed, for national emergencies or other evacuations. Because of that, buses are not to be parked with less than a half tank of fuel and chains are to be at the ready. Last time school buses were called up was several years ago...the Potomac was flooding low-lying neighborhoods.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/17/2007 09:23PM by duh.

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Re: Ambulance Chains
Posted by: ffxn8v ()
Date: November 17, 2007 09:27PM

duh Wrote:
________________________________________________________
>
>
> The Onspot chains don't drag on the street unless
> they are adjusted improperly or have
> malfunctioned.
>
> Every FCPS bus carries a set of regular chains and
> a chock block (to place under the inner tire and
> drive up on, so you can put the chains on the
> outer tire).
> Granted, they are not used often....but there have
> been instances in recent years where they have
> been needed. Like basketball field trips where it
> starts snowing or the roads start icing late at
> night...you won't see that on the news unless
> there is a mishap.
>
> Plus, FCPS has a deal with Uncle Sam to provide
> use of the school bus fleet, if needed, for
> national emergencies or other evacuations.
> Because of that, buses are not to be parked with
> less than a half tank of fuel and chains are to be
> at the ready. Last time school buses were called
> up was several years ago...the Potomac was
> flooding low-lying neighborhoods.

____________________________________________________


So then why would they be dragging? Are THAT many out of "adjustment"?

I ask this, seriously. I have never seen ANY county vehicle with chains in use and like you say, dragging would mean they were out of adjustment if they were a set of useable chains. The reason I can say that is that the chain WILL wear as it drags.

Next time I see an ambulance parked, I will have to check it out a bit closer. I am aware (and was so, before this thread) of the auto-install chains. Cool technology. I am ust not buying into its use here in NORVA. I guess it could be possible - but then again, why are all of them poorly installed and dragging then?

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Re: Ambulance Chains
Posted by: ffxn8v ()
Date: November 17, 2007 09:31PM

bob Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> They are OnSpots you toad. Any ambulance in the
> county that utilizes air-bags or is otherwise
> 'lifted' in the rear is equipped with OnSpots -
> aka all freightliners for the last 5 years.
>
> http://www.onspot.com/news/Fairfax_County.htm
>
>
_____________________________________________________________


bob, that is great that you found a site with some good information. Your delivery however, leaves a lot to be desired.

Gosh, the internet brings out all of the tough guys...


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Re: Ambulance Chains
Posted by: duh ()
Date: November 18, 2007 12:54AM

ffxn8v Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> duh Wrote:
> _________________________________________________
> _______
> >
> >
> > The Onspot chains don't drag on the street
> unless
> > they are adjusted improperly or have
> > malfunctioned.
> >
> > Every FCPS bus carries a set of regular chains
> and
> > a chock block (to place under the inner tire
> and
> > drive up on, so you can put the chains on the
> > outer tire).
> > Granted, they are not used often....but there
> have
> > been instances in recent years where they have
> > been needed. Like basketball field trips where
> it
> > starts snowing or the roads start icing late at
> > night...you won't see that on the news unless
> > there is a mishap.
> >
> > Plus, FCPS has a deal with Uncle Sam to provide
> > use of the school bus fleet, if needed, for
> > national emergencies or other evacuations.
> > Because of that, buses are not to be parked
> with
> > less than a half tank of fuel and chains are to
> be
> > at the ready. Last time school buses were
> called
> > up was several years ago...the Potomac was
> > flooding low-lying neighborhoods.
>
> __________________________________________________
> __
>
>
> So then why would they be dragging? Are THAT many
> out of "adjustment"?
>
> I ask this, seriously. I have never seen ANY
> county vehicle with chains in use and like you
> say, dragging would mean they were out of
> adjustment if they were a set of useable chains.
> The reason I can say that is that the chain WILL
> wear as it drags.
>
> Next time I see an ambulance parked, I will have
> to check it out a bit closer. I am aware (and was
> so, before this thread) of the auto-install
> chains. Cool technology. I am ust not buying into
> its use here in NORVA. I guess it could be
> possible - but then again, why are all of them
> poorly installed and dragging then?


Watch the video on the Onspot website. The chains are short...maybe 12-16 inches long...arranged in a circle around a wheel..which flails around when activated.

For them to drag...either the system is not retracting as it should...or replacement chains were installed that are too long. But it's no big deal, even if a link or two is abraded away by the road...as long as they're still long enough to reach under the tires.

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Re: Ambulance Chains
Posted by: ffxn8v ()
Date: November 18, 2007 10:16AM

duh Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Watch the video on the Onspot website. The chains
> are short...maybe 12-16 inches long...arranged in
> a circle around a wheel..which flails around when
> activated.
>
> For them to drag...either the system is not
> retracting as it should...or replacement chains
> were installed that are too long. But it's no big
> deal, even if a link or two is abraded away by the
> road...as long as they're still long enough to
> reach under the tires.
__________________________________________________

Thanks again!

I hope someone fromthe county realizes they are then, out of adjustment and fixes them. Hopefully the links that wear from dragging are not essential to the integrity of the product during use.

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Re: Ambulance Chains
Posted by: Brian C ()
Date: May 08, 2008 11:53PM

It is to ground out static electricity to prevent static interference in communication radios (fire, police, ambulance, bus, etc), to prevent a spark from igniting petrol when it is being delivered, and to protect the vehicle's equipment and occupants better if lightening strikes the vehicle. It has nothing to do with motion sickness.

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Re: Ambulance Chains
Posted by: Kobersteen ()
Date: May 09, 2008 12:38PM

Brian C Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> It is to ground out static electricity to prevent
> static interference in communication radios (fire,
> police, ambulance, bus, etc), to prevent a spark
> from igniting petrol when it is being delivered,
> and to protect the vehicle's equipment and
> occupants better if lightening strikes the
> vehicle. It has nothing to do with motion
> sickness.


Thanks Brian, but no. They are indeed Onspots.

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Re: Ambulance Chains
Posted by: TheMeeper ()
Date: May 09, 2008 01:12PM

Brian C Wrote:
> to protect the vehicle's equipment and occupants better if lightning strikes the vehicle


That's a pretty hilarious notion when you think about it. It's funny to think that someone would actually believe that it would be worth the time & money to engineer an ambulance so that it is able to withstand a lightning bolt.

Do ambulances have a high rate of lightning-induced accidents?

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Re: Ambulance Chains
Posted by: bob ()
Date: May 09, 2008 04:35PM

TheMeeper Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Do ambulances have a high rate of
> lightning-induced accidents?


No but a few less than intelligent individuals on this forum believe there is a high risk of static-electricity induced ambulance accidents... Come to think of it the ONLY static electricity accident I can recall off memory is the TWA flight from 10 years ago.

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Re: Ambulance Chains
Posted by: randito ()
Date: January 17, 2011 11:36AM

the chains are for snow, insta chains replace traditional chains during winter weather, they work for a motorized spin controlled by the driver. the chains have nothing to do with grounding, electricity etc.

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Re: Ambulance Chains
Posted by: Moron ()
Date: January 17, 2011 05:33PM

Randito, why did you bump a nearly 3 year old thread? Further, why did you bump it simply to state something that was already said in the thread?

Moron.

randito Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> the chains are for snow, insta chains replace
> traditional chains during winter weather, they
> work for a motorized spin controlled by the
> driver. the chains have nothing to do with
> grounding, electricity etc.

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Re: Ambulance Chains
Posted by: BOB = MORON ()
Date: January 17, 2011 06:47PM

'BOB' and 'Duh' ARE COMPLETE DUMBASSES.

THEY ARE *NOT* ONSPOTS OR INSTA-CHAINS BECAUSE THEY ARE
HANGING DIRECTLY FROM THE CENTER OF THE BUS.

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Re: Ambulance Chains
Posted by: Moron ()
Date: January 17, 2011 10:01PM

They rotate out of position when not in use fucktard.

BOB = MORON Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> 'BOB' and 'Duh' ARE COMPLETE DUMBASSES.
>
> THEY ARE *NOT* ONSPOTS OR INSTA-CHAINS BECAUSE
> THEY ARE
> HANGING DIRECTLY FROM THE CENTER OF THE BUS.

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Re: Ambulance Chains
Posted by: YOU = DUMBASS ()
Date: January 18, 2011 07:42PM

MORON wrote :
--------------------------
> "They rotate out of position when not in use fucktard."

I KNOW DUMBASS.
BUT THEY STAY RELATIVELY CLOSE TO THE TIRE ON THE LEFT
AND RIGHT SIDES WITH THE MOTOR ALWAYS IN OBVIOUS PLAIN VIEW.
THE CHAINS IN QUESTION, ARE IN THE *CENTER* OF THE BUS
*NOWHERE* NEAR THE TIRES *INFRONT OF THE REAR AXLE.
YA DUMBASS.

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Re: Ambulance Chains
Posted by: 1st time visitor ()
Date: January 18, 2011 08:23PM

What a friendly site.

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Re: Ambulance Chains
Posted by: |Bob ()
Date: October 22, 2011 08:50AM

I believe it is a bit of both ........................

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Re: Ambulance Chains
Posted by: ......... ()
Date: October 22, 2011 03:32PM

Onspots. WOW some of you people are fucking retarded. Big surprise though.

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Re: Ambulance Chains
Posted by: Snow! ()
Date: January 20, 2016 10:45AM

Do Fairfax County ambulances still put on tire chains for snow driving?

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Re: Ambulance Chains
Posted by: Chaser ()
Date: January 21, 2016 01:16AM

I have never seen chains on ambulance wheels here. Going to watch for those on-spot things this weekend.

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Re: Ambulance Chains
Posted by: Fooled roller ()
Date: January 21, 2016 06:55AM

On spots are on most fire department heavy vehicles. They're good up to six inches of snow and under 30mph. They are good for "quick on and quick off" applications in certain "spots" of snow. Hence the name.

Every rig also has an assigned set of cable chains. These are used when snow is over six inches, and are relatively easy to put on and take off. They're ok in durability but tend to break easily and tear apart the trucks' wheelwells.


Above that are "heavy chains" which are literally just big heavy steel chains. More durable but a bitch go get on and off in a hurry.

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Re: Ambulance Chains
Posted by: Chain video ()
Date: January 21, 2016 06:57AM


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