The City of Detroit will add 49 new Chief XL ambulances from Braun to its fleet over the next five years. Fourteen units have already been delivered to the agency, with the remaining 35 units to be built and delivered over the next four years.

Braun’s Chief XL units are mounted on Ford F-550 chassis. Each ambulance features customized interior console layouts, customized exterior compartment sizes, and customized interior cabinets. They also include Braun’s E-Z O2 lift oxygen cylinder lift, Havis docking stations and mounts for the console, and Ferno InX cots and mounts for patient transport and loading.

The Chief XL is Braun’s top-selling ambulance model. It is available in Type I or Type III configurations and features Braun’s SolidBody construction. The floor, roof, sides, and doors are constructed from brake-formed parts with fully welded seams, reducing weight and adding strength. The EZ Glide door’s aluminum construction adds durability to the unit.

Dave Fornell, deputy fire commissioner for the City of Detroit, said the Detroit Fire Department wanted its medical techs to work with units as durable as the agency’s fire trucks. Fornell sat on a committee that considered ambulance options and consulted the cities of New Orleans and Boston before choosing Braun.