Equipment Use and Maintenance


Oxygen tanks (Small)

  • The seal that must be used is a metal ring with a rubber gasket. The plastic seals will not work properly.

Recovering Equipment

  • All equipment that we want to get back from the hospital must have plainly written on it the words "CHATFIELD AMBULANCE" and "SAVE".
  • If you have to leave backboards, splints, or other equipment at the hospital place a note on the Chatfield garage's white board as to what equipment was left behind and where. Also tape a note to the dashboard or steering wheel of both trucks with the same information as we don't always have time to read the board before leaving for a call.
    • After recovering the equipment wipe the note from the board and remove the notes from the trucks.

Ambulance Radio

  • When initiating communication always identify yourself first and then who you are calling. That way if your identification is lost the called station will know who they are and ask for you to re-identify.
  • Most of our local communications will take place on the City of Chatfield repeater (ambulance channel 1). If the repeater is out of operation dispatch (LEC) may be contacted on the Fillmore repeater (ambulance channel 5) and other local and handheld radios using the MNSEF frequency, now identified as VLAW 31 (ambulance channel 4).
    • Identify with call sign, for example "471 to LEC"
  • If we must communicate with other services we may also be called upon to use the MNSEF frequency (ambulance channel 4) if we are in close proximity to each other. That is within 2 or 3 miles. That is the common frequency used at Saint Charles during their big fire.
  • Radio communication with Saint Mary's may be done on either the 800 Mhz radio channel marked "SMH" or VHF ambulance channel 2
  • Radio communication with Olmsted Community Hospital may be accomplished on the 800 Mhz radio on the channel marked "OMC"
    • Identify with service name, for example "Chatfield Ambulance to Saint Mary's Hospital"
  • Every once in a while it seems that the VHF communications radio in the ambulance gets stuck in the "Self Test" mode. One thing you can try is turning off the radio for about 15 seconds and then turning it back on.
    • The On/Off switch is activated by pushing the small micro-switch in the center of the volume control.

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