Frequently Asked Question

Turn off any electrical systems (headlights, dome lights, the battery disconnect switch by the driver's knee, etc) to decrease demand. Flip the emergency start switch to "ON" and wait 30 seconds. Attempt to start the ambulance again.

If that does not work, take another ambulance on the call. When time permits, attempt to emergency start the dead truck again but wait for a full minute. Drive a working ambulance so that they are nose-to-nose. Get the jumper cables from the drawer behind the passenger side door. Connect the red clamp to the red (positive) terminal on the dead ambulance. Connect the black clamp to (ideally) an unpainted ground like any bolt with a wire going to it or the black (negative) terminal on the battery. Plug the other end, an Anderson Powerpole plug, into the donor ambulance. Leave the donor running and attempt to start the dead truck. If this does not work, leave the donor running, ensure the key is in the off position on the dead truck, and try again in 10 minutes.

Ambulances slowly charge off of their shorelines. If they die and it does not have an obvious cause (e.g. the headlights were left on), an apparatus ticket should be opened after you test the shoreline (e.g. with a phone charger). If a reserve ambulance was found to be dead and unplugged, it need not be jumped unless it does not start after an hour on a working shoreline.