Thank you so much for your interest in Frazer EMS Vehicles! If you’re here you’re likely a prospective ambulance buyer and that probably means you saw us at a trade show or perhaps on a social media post; maybe one of your neighboring communities has one of our vehicles; or it’s possible you found us with a good old fashioned web search. However it happened, welcome! We’re glad you stopped by.
If you missed Part 1 of this series, please click here to check it out.
Like any potential customer you have lots of questions. Since this may be the first time you’ve ever heard of us, we’ve compiled a list of the most common things we hear asked by ambulance buyers or their committees. Hopefully these will give you a better sense of our company and our products. If you don’t find the answer you’re looking for here, please feel free to call one of our sales team at 888-372-9371. Or, if you prefer, fill out a request for our handy Buyer’s Guide.
How Do You Service Customers Not In Texas?
Our approach to service works directly with the way we’ve designed our product. We know components can fail over time. Given that fact, we’ve tried to make everything on your vehicle easy to identify, troubleshoot, and repair.
If you have a fleet maintenance department, they will run into very few things they won’t be able to fix. We offer free training to all of our customers for dealing with maintenance and repair on the generator , air conditioner, electrical systems and much more.
Our service department is always just a call away. You can even find the number right on the electrical compartment door. Customers have been amazed over the years at how many issues they’ve been able to solve over the phone.
Because we designed our EMS vehicles to feature module independence, we don’t make modifications to the factory chassis. If you do have a truck issue, your local dealer will be able to work on it, and the finger pointing we hear about with traditionally powered ambulances goes away.
Frazer has excellent relationships with service centers around the country. Click here to see a list of Authorized Service Centers. If you are more comfortable with a service center in your area, we can review their expertise and work directly with them. We can even have them come to the factory for training if necessary.
Our Service Department is constantly on the lookout for good people to work with. We have a goal to add 10 more Authorized Service Centers in 2019, bringing our total to 23.
To find out more about our numerous service options, please call 888-372-9371 and speak with one of our sales team or ask for Bert Jones, our VP of Service. Also, we highly encourage you to talk to our customers, especially those outside of Texas, to find out how our service has worked for them.
Why Do I Need a Generator for My EMS Vehicle?
Our customers find generator power on their EMS vehicle gives them a number of major advantages over traditional ambulance electrical systems. They typically have had issues with at least one of the following situations.
First, it allows for our super cold, independent 120V A/C system. Customer experiences with the truck-based A/C systems common on traditional ambulances, especially in hotter parts of the country, have definitely been underwhelming.
Second, they typically find the separate source of power for the module on their EMS vehicle far more efficient than trying to run everything off the truck electrical system. They no longer rely on load management systems to keep major module functions operable. You just turn it on and go.
Third, the modular design and module independence allows for easy, cost effective remounts down the line. Smaller departments frequently tell us how this has allowed them to expand their ambulance fleet without breaking the bank.
Fourth, thanks to generator power, mechanics love the simplicity of our electrical design. Our electrical compartment features a detailed print of all circuitry along with the serial numbers and makes of all major components.
Lastly, should something go wrong, you don’t want to find yourself without power. If an issue arises with either generator method, our EMS vehicles are designed to automatically switch back over to the chassis electrical system, giving you redundant 12V power in the event of an unexpected problem.
Onan or MEPS for My EMS Vehicle?
Frazer offers two different approaches to the generator solution on our EMS vehicles. One method uses an on-board Onan 5.5 kW generator located in its own compartment. The advantage to this design is that it does not rely on the chassis to create power. If you should have a truck issue, the patient module will remain fully operable with all major systems intact.
Our other solution utilizes an under hood, belt driven generator from Mobile Electric Power Solutions, MEPS for short. The MEPS system provides 6.3 kW of output. Customers find the advantage of the MEPS system in not having to maintain another piece of equipment. If you don’t have a dedicated fleet maintenance department, this may be the right solution for you. Please click here to view a more comprehensive discussion of the pros and cons of each design.
However, if you’re not experiencing consistent battery and alternator failures, poor A/C quality, or system outages on your current ambulance, it’s quite likely a generator powered module is not a priority for your service. But if any of these complaints sound familiar, give one of our sales pros a call at 888-372-9371. They can walk you through these scenarios and discuss the MEPS v. Onan questions to see if generator power, and which approach, would be a good fit for your department.
What’s Your Sales Process?
We know the sales cycle can be daunting for a prospective customer. We’ve worked hard to streamline the process so you get the most out of your Factory Direct experience when buying your next EMS vehicle. You’ve taken the first step so here’s what you can expect when your initial interest turns into a buying decision.
First, one of our sales team will use our Configuration Tool to work directly with your team on specs and a detailed quote. This tool allows you to see all the available options and essentially walk though every question around building your vehicle. With our Limited Edition model, you can save $10,000.00 just by choosing from those options included in the Configuration Tool.
Once you’ve had a chance to review the results, your sales professional will discuss any revisions that might be in order and get any updated pricing to you.
Everything is just the way you want it? Great! Let’s built it! Your department will issue a Purchase Order or Letter of Intent to Purchase (LOI). This reserves you a spot in our production line and allows us to get your chassis on order. Right now our lead time is running between 6-8 months.
What’s the Build Process Like?
In the time leading up to the build process we will secure any long lead time items and work with your team to collect any items you might be providing for installation.
When the actual work begins you will receive three sets of progress pictures. Of course you’re welcome to come see the action in progress if you want, but for some of our customers that’s a bit more challenging due to location.
At about 2-3 weeks away from completion we will contact your team with an invoice and schedule a date for pick up or inspection, depending on how your normal process goes. We have many customers who will come review the build then drive their new Frazer away that day. Others prefer to come perform the inspection then have us bring it out to them. Some folks like to do the inspection when we drop it off at their facility.
We’ve worked with just about every situation from that standpoint. Let us know the best way to get you your new Frazer EMS vehicle and we’ll take care of the details.
What’s Covered Under Warranty?
Your new Frazer EMS vehicle will come with a lifetime module construction warranty. What does this mean for you? Basically, we’ve engineered and built our unit to withstand the rigors of running a 911 ambulance service. If, in the course of normal use, a weld on a door or compartment should crack, or a cabinet shelf should come loose, essentially any failure of the things we directly built or assembled, we’ll cover that for you. Obviously that would change in the case of a wreck of some other damage out of your control, but outside of that, we’re here to take care of your vehicle.
As for the many components we install on the vehicles, those are covered by their own manufacturers’ warranty. We provide you a USB Flash drive filled with documentation on those products as well as relevant owner manuals.
Click here to see a listing of some of the components and their coverage terms.
Stay Tuned for Part 3!
Again, thank you so much for your time and interest. We hope you found these answers helpful. In case you missed it, you can click here to see Part 1. And if you haven’t already had the chance, please give one of our sales team a call at 888-372-9371 to find out if a Frazer EMS vehicle may be the right fit for your department.
