Sure-Start Ambulance Battery Saver

When there’s an emergency, minutes matter. An ambulance that can’t start because of a dead battery could be the difference between life, and death.

So at Arrow Ambulances, we set out to help prevent dead batteries.

There are two batteries on an ambulance – one in the cab and one in the module. These batteries are wired together to provide equipment with adequate power and run time. This equipment, like medical refrigerators, lights, monitors, and radios, is constantly drawing power from these batteries.

When an ambulance is at the station, if the team accidentally forgets to plug in the shore line, or the building loses power, the equipment will continue to drain both batteries. And if left unnoticed for too long, you’ll be stuck with two dead batteries, and an ambulance that won’t start.

To fix this, we created the Sure-Start Battery Saver. This system constantly monitors the voltage or charge of the batteries as equipment is drawing power. And when it detects that the cab battery may not have enough power to start the engine, it’ll disconnect it from powering equipment and reserve it’s charge.

So when it’s time to respond, you can be sure that one battery is always saved and your truck will start. It’s a simple feature to help you do your not-so-simple job.

Frequently Asked Questions about the Sure-Start Battery Saver

If a battery is disconnected, will it need to be manually reset or reconnected?

No! The entire system is automatic with zero requirement for manually reconnecting or resetting batteries. The Sure-Start system will disconnect the chassis battery when it detects that voltage is getting low. But, it'll stay fully connected to the chassis so that your ambulance is ready to start immediately. And once the voltage of the module battery increases, from either the vehicle running and charging it or after being plugged into shore line power, the batteries will connect back together like normal. We set out to make this system require as little input from you as possible.

Can't I just use a jumper pack instead?

We try to avoid jumper packs whenever possible. Modern vehicles and ambulance modules have tons of small, low voltage sensors that track everything imaginable. The problem with all these sensors is that they're very sensitive to anything higher than 12 volts being sent to them. Jumper packs, especially those advertised as high boost or made for big engines, often discharge far more volts than the typical 12-14v delivered by a battery. This shock of higher voltage will spread through the entire wiring framework of both the vehicle and module, and can damage sensitive components like sensors, resulting in error codes in the chassis, broken temperature controls in the module, and more. The Sure-Start system helps you avoid having to jump start an ambulance by making sure that one battery's voltage is always reserved just to the start the engine. This helps you avoid accidentally damaging expensive and hard-to-troubleshoot components by needing to use a jumper pack.

What are some common reasons for a dead ambulance battery?

The most common causes of dead ambulance batteries, according to our customers, are: 1. Forgetting to plug in the shore line power at the station. If the ambulance doesn't get plugged in, or the shore line connection doesn't get plugged in all the way, the equipment in both the ambulance chassis and module will eventually drain both batteries. 2. Power outage or tripped breaker at the station. Volunteer departments may not notice a power outage or tripped breaker before it's too late. A power loss at the shore line will result in dead batteries if the unplugged ambulance goes unnoticed for too long. 3. Running equipment while waiting at a hospital or a call. If the crew drops off a patient at the hospital and sits in the parking lot for a long time, or a crew arrives to help on a scene and leaves equipment powered with the truck turned off, that equipment will eventually drain both batteries. This includes heat/ac systems, refrigerators, lights, radios, monitors, oxygen systems, IV warmers, etc. If all the equipment in an ambulance is on, but the engine isn't running, the batteries can drain in as quickly as an hour.

My ambulance won't start, how can I troubleshoot?

Check out our other guide on how to troubleshoot a dead ambulance battery.

What tips do you have to prevent dead batteries?

First, ask our sales team how you can be sure your ambulance gets equipped with the Sure-Start Battery Saver! Second, always make sure your ambulance is fully connected to working shore line power. Keep your cords and plugs clean and free of debris, and replace them if they're damaged or worn out. Third, leave your ambulance running when on scene. This ensures the engine's alternator will continue to generator power to both charge the batteries and power equipment. Have more questions? Contact us

Can I install this on any brand of ambulance?

The Sure-Start Battery Saver is not available as a standalone unit, and is an exclusive feature on Arrow Ambulances. If you'd like to learn more about installing this system on your Arrow Ambulance, or any other brand of ambulance, please Contact Us. We're more than happy to discuss options!