CARROLLTON, Texas — Repurposing ambulances for marketing events and parties “gives the industry a black eye,” according to Joe Huffman of the Texas Ambulance Association.
The group spoke out against businesses using the decommissioned emergency vehicles for tailgating and other purposes, CBS reports.
Repurposed units such as “DFW Cougar & Kitten Rescue” which features a bar and a pole inside, or “911 Flooring Response Team,” run by a business specializing in hospital flooring labels, are deceiving to the public, Huffman said.
“If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, people expect a duck,” Huffman said. “All of a sudden a shooting goes down, they run over to the ambulance expecting help and it’s not available.”
The law allows decommissioned ambulances to be used for other purposes as long as lights and sirens are not used. The Texas Ambulance Association has been pushing for more regulations in an effort to better distinguish between an ambulance and a repurposed rig to prevent any confusion during an emergency.