Editing Ambulance (section)

===Standards===
[[File:Ambulance lane.jpg|thumb|upright|An ambulance [[lane]] in [[Warsaw]], Poland]]
Many regions have prescribed standards which ambulances should, or must, meet in order to be used for their role. These standards may have different levels which reflect the type of patient which the ambulance is expected to transport (for instance specifying a different standard for routine patient transport than high dependency), or may base standards on the size of vehicle.

For instance, in Europe, the [[European Committee for Standardization]] publishes the standard [[CEN 1789]], which specifies minimum compliance levels across the build of ambulance, including crash resistance, equipment levels, and exterior marking. In the United States, standards for ambulance design have existed since 1976, where the standard is published by the [[General Services Administration]] and known as KKK-A-1822.<ref>{{cite journal |author =Vogt F |title=Equipment: Federal Specification, Ambulance KKK-A-1822 |journal=Emerg Med Serv |volume=5 |issue=3 |pages=58, 60–64 |year=1976 |pmid=1028572 }}</ref> This standard has been revised several times, and is currently in version 'F' change notice #13, known as KKK-A-1822F. The [[National Fire Protection Association]] has also published a design standard, [[NFPA 1917]], which offers an alternative to KKK-A-1822F.<ref name="NebraskaEMSLetter">{{cite web|first=Dean|last=Cole|publisher=Nebraska EMS/Trauma Program|access-date=24 May 2013|url=http://dhhs.ne.gov/publichealth/NebraskaEMS/Documents/Ambulance%20Vehicle%20Design%20Specifications%20Revision.pdf|year=2013|title=Ambulance Vehicle Design Specifications Revision|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150430113312/http://dhhs.ne.gov/publichealth/NebraskaEMS/Documents/Ambulance%20Vehicle%20Design%20Specifications%20Revision.pdf|archive-date=30 April 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> The Commission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services (CAAS) has published its Ground Vehicle Standard for Ambulances v2.0, effective July 2019. This standard is similar to the KKK-A-1822F and NFPA 1917–2019 specifications. The decision on which of the current (3) standards to require is left up to each individual state legislature or EMS director. Some states have no specific requirement, while others specify which standard is acceptable. Others, yet, allow the end user to decide which standard to comply to.

In the United States and Canada, there are four types of ambulances: Type I, Type II, Type III, and Type IV. Type I is based on a [[heavy truck]] chassis-cab with a custom rear compartment that is often referred to as a "box" or "module", primarily used for Advanced Life Support (ALS) or Mobile Intensive Care Unit (MICU), as well as rescue work. Type II is based on a commercial heavy-duty van with few modifications except for a raised roof and a secondary air conditioning unit for the rear of the vehicle, primarily used for Basic Life Support (BLS) and transfer of patients, though they are occasionally also used for ALS and rescue. Type III is a van chassis-cab with a custom-made rear compartment, used for ALS and rescue. Type IV is for ''ad hoc'' patient transfer using smaller utility vehicles selected for maneuverability in special environments such as dense crowds at events; these are uncommon and are not subject to federal regulations in the United States.<ref>{{cite web |title=Index of Federal Specifications, Standards, and Commercial Item Descriptions |url=https://www.gsa.gov/buying-selling/purchasing-programs/requisition-programs/gsa-global-supply/supply-standards/index-of-federal-specifications-standards-and-commercial-item-descriptions |website=gsa.gov}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Ambulances – Type I, Type II, Type III and Type IV Ambulances |url=http://metronixinc.com/site/ambulances.html |website=metronixinc.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Untitled Page |url=https://ntea.com/WorkArea/DownloadAsset.aspx?id%3D1342 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141104202923/https://ntea.com/WorkArea/DownloadAsset.aspx?id=1342 |archive-date=4 November 2014 |access-date=2013-12-17}}</ref>

The move towards standardisation is now reaching countries without a history of prescriptive codes, such as India, which approved its first national standard for ambulance construction in 2013.<ref>{{cite news|work=The Statesman|url=http://www.thestatesman.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=459973&catid=36|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130620012756/http://www.thestatesman.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=459973&catid=36|url-status=dead|archive-date=20 June 2013|title=Ministry gives its nod to national ambulance code|date=7 June 2013}}</ref>