“Lemon Law Ambulance” Provides a Post-Script: It Catches Fire

Flanders Ambulance 87, the Braun ambulance on a 2005 Ford E-450 chassis that triggered New Jersey’s Emergency Vehicle Lemon Law, caught fire while unattended in its firehouse bay Thursday morning.

Two firefighters were hurt fighting the fire, which did substantial damage to the ambulance, and minor damage to the firehouse. Police told the local newspapers that the cause of the fire was in the ABS mechanism of the engine.  Newspaper coverage can be seen here and here. 

It’s an ironic end to an ambulance that has given the fire company grief since the day it was purchased. After Ford and International tore the engine apart and put it back together, the ambulance served the fire company well for a couple of years. Today, the ABS light came on while the ambulance was returning from a call. It was taken out of service and parked. A short time later it caught fire.

There are two items of good news: First, no patient was in the ambulance when it caught fire. Second, with our new emergency vehicle lemon law, any emergency vehicle delivered with as many demons as this one had would have been taken out of service and replaced long ago.

Ambulance 87, the inspiration for New Jersey's Emergency Vehicle Lemon Law, caught fire while sitting in its firehouse bay unattended.

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