Description
Many ambulances have idled for no reason. Sometimes the driver of the ambulance will even get out and leave the engine running.
I've decided to report each instance in hopes that something will happen.
I did not get the company name of the latest ambulance, but the number of the company was on the side 215-332-1509. The ambulance number on the side was 422-8. When I called the company after the ambulance had been out there for an hour idling, they called the driver, who moved the ambulance before I could get the name of the company.
I've called many ambulance companies and have found that some are responsive and some not.
I feel that I am too frequently needing to ask drivers to turn off engines or calling ambulance companies to get them to do so.
11 Comments
Nick (Guest)
Hi Ho-Yin Li, thanks for reporting!
Clean Air Council is gathering data on idling hotspots in Philadelphia to help Air Management Services and the Parking Authority target their enforcement efforts. Unfortunately, ambulances and other emergency vehicles are exempt from idling laws in Philadelphia and Pennsylvania, so there is no enforcement capability. In talking with ambulance companies in the past, some of their resistance to no-idling policies stem from the age of their fleets. Many of the ambulances are older and unreliable to starting quickly.
The best thing to do would be to continue calling ambulance companies when you see them idling and ask them to enforce a company no-idling policy. Some companies will comply and others will resist so you may have limited success.
Thanks for helping us with this important issue.
Nick Rogers, Clean Air Council
(215) 567 - 4004 x 110
Anonymous (Guest)
Ho-Yin Li (Guest)
Nick,
Thanks for your response and the information. It is hard to believe that ambulances are exempt from all parts of all idling ordinances. I have also been unable to find information to verify this online. Can you please point me in the right direction? Surely, there must be a clear set of rules available to the public somwhere out there.
Ho-Yin Li (Guest)
Anonymous User,
Thanks for taking an interest in the issue on my block :) There are ambulances near the outpatient clinic where I live that idle for good reasons. However, there are all too often occasions where the driver is seeking comfort from unpleasant weather during their breaks. And most often, when I ask them to stop idling, they just move their vehicle to another spot. It makes me wonder if they ever turn off their engine during their shift.
ADIは、 Baba Bob Shipman (Registered User)
クローズド Baba Bob Shipman (Registered User)
Reopened Ho-Yin Li (Guest)
Although it would be nice to think that ambulance idling issues on our block have been addressed and resolved, I feel that it is premature to close this issue. I will continue to report further instances of ambulance idling, and keeping those issues opened, until the issue is definitively resolved.
Further, since the medical facility across the street is not an emergency medical facility, the ambulances that normally visit the building are not emergency vehicles, but just medical transports. They should not be afforded any privelege that may be extended to emergency transports.
If one visits any of the hositals in the area, it will be evident that strict non-idling laws are enforced by that institution. The medical building at 1740 South should be held to the same standard, especially since they are a non-emergency facility. As it is, instead of being proactive about enforcing idling laws, many of the security guards have tried to make excuses for the transport drivers.
Baba Bob Shipman (Registered User)
et186 (Registered User)
Baba Bob Shipman (Registered User)
クローズド Baba Bob Shipman (Registered User)