This specification covers minimum requirements for primary medical oxygen delivery systems for EMS ground vehicles used in the following applications: (1) the transportation of the sick and injured to or from an appropriate medical facility while basic, advanced, or specialized life support services are being provided, (2) the delivery of interhospital critical transport care, (3) the delivery of nonemergency, medically required, transport services, and (4) the transportation and delivery of personnel and supplies essential for proper care of an emergent patient. This standard establishes criteria to be considered in the performance, specification, purchase, and acceptance testing of EMS ground vehicles. The oxygen delivery system may be either a gaseous oxygen (GOX) system, or a liquid oxygen (LOX) system. Design and installation of the oxygen delivery system shall meet the requirements specified for: (1) capacity, (2) components such as oxygen piping system, flow control device, oxygen outlet, shutoff device, and secondary oxygen outlet, and (3) oxygen compartment. The oxygen system shall conform to the specified performance requirements including: (1) delivery flowrate, (2) delivery pressure, (3) delivery temperature, (4) temperature conditions such as storage temperature, cold soak, and heat soak, (5) electromagnetic interference, and (6) structural integrity against vibration, acceleration load, and shock load (basic design and crash worthiness). Installation requirements for oxygen piping routing and mounting, as well as flaring and bending, are specified. Design, installation, and pressure test requirements for GOX and LOX systems are detailed.

1.1 This standard covers minimum requirements for primary medical oxygen delivery systems for EMS ground vehicles used in the following applications:

1.1.1 The transportation of the sick and injured to or from an appropriate medical facility while basic, advanced, or specialized life support services are being provided,

1.1.2 The delivery of interhospital critical transport care,

1.1.3 The delivery of nonemergency, medically required, transport services, and

1.1.4 The transportation and delivery of personnel and supplies essential for proper care of an emergent patient.

1.2 This standard establishes criteria to be considered in the performance, specification, purchase, and acceptance testing of ground vehicles for EMS use.

1.3 This entire standard should be read before ordering an ambulance in order to be knowledgeable of the types of equipment that are available and their performance requirements. Due to the variety of ambulance equipment or features, some options may be incompatible with all chassis manufacturers' models. Detailed technical information is available from the chassis manufacturers.

1.4 The sections in this standard appear in the following sequence:

Section

Scope

1

Referenced Documents

2

Terminology

3

Significance and Use

4

Design Requirements

5

Performance Requirements

6

Installation Requirements

7

GOX System Design Requirements

8

GOX System Installation Requirements

9

GOX System Test Requirements

10 

LOX System Design Requirements

11 

LOX System Installation Requirements

12 

LOX System Test Requirements

13 

Keywords

14