Ambulance given ticket when paramedics stopped for lunch - who is right?

[Howdydoodyfolks]

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5989603/Moment-idiot-parking-warden-slaps-ticket-ambulance.html
The debate seems to be "were they on call" and if not should they still get a ticket?

I might be wrong but aren't paramedics pretty much always on call if they're on duty? If they were off duty they wouldn't be in their uniforms.

If someone in that branch of Tesco collapsed while they were there, am sure they would have sprung into action rather than sit in the ambulance saying 'Sorry we're on a break, you'll have to wait 15 mins, then we can bring in the resus equipment"

This is just down the road from me. The firm were brought in as cars were parking all along the double yellows.
Of course the paramedics were on duty, if the radio went whilst they stopped for food and water they would have dashed off. Not so easy to do if they were in a bay.
If they were parked in a bay they would have been over the lines, would he also have given them a ticket for that?
The firm have now been suspended from operating there and parking attendants being given further training.
Lots of local business now offering free water, half price foods and of course free parking after this incident.

She was stopping to buy a bottle of water, so a very quick visit. Not having a sit down meal. So I’m guessing she wasn’t on a break and therefore the possibility that her radio goes and she has to shoot off. So being the other side of the car park where maybe there’d be more space wouldn’t be good.

Warden was very silly.

So they are supposed to miss a call parking further away. Anyone who begrudge a paramedic 2 mins to grab a sodding drink needs to have a word with themselves.

Disgusting behaviour. Took longer to argue than get the bloody water

Wardens a knob.
Tesco should of released a statement by now condemning the actions and dealing with it.
Poor show from a big compsny

The warden may very well have been a knob BUT from the pictures it really looks as though the ambulance was blocking the way?

From my knowledge of Tesco's I'm pretty sure they usually have a pick up/drop off point at the front somewhere that would've made more sense for the ambulance to pull into

No drop off/pick up. Tesco express amongst takeaways. The ambulance wasnt causing an obstruction, cars were able to get through they just kept stopping to see what was happening.

I think the warden was wrong but also probably just thought he was doing his job.

Agree that they're always effectively on call. Our nearest mini supermarket/petrol station gets lots of ambulance staff in as they can fill up and go to the loo there. Of course us locals always let them to the front of the queue but even then it's quite common for their handset to go off and when it does they have to go. Even a couple of minutes' walk can be sufficient delay to ensure they won't get another coffee/water/whatever for several hours. Because they won't have time to stop again because they're, y'know, busy saving lives and that.

Total jobsworth. What on earth was he thinking? Would he have done the same to a police car?

Well it’s not an ideal place to park but tbh I would give ambulance/fire crew some leeway in the rules. She was only buying water, not as if she was taking the piss and doing a big shop.

How did the parking warden know that they were just getting a drink etc? They could have been called to an emergency. Either way he should not be ticketing and emergency service vehicle, they need to be ready to go at a moments notice and should be able to park where they need to as long as they are not causing an obstruction, although if it was to save a life I wouldn't have an issue with that either.

When this issue came up near me with police cars the local Chief Constable was very clear that the Parking Wardens were to put a ticket on the vehicle which could then be appealed. If the officers were on a call, or otherwise being reasonable this would be granted.

Where would we be without our ambulance service??? They provide an amazing service. She was grabbing a quick drink!!! Giving a ticket was ridiculous on the wardens part. For all he knew she could of been on a call.

What goes through the head of a warden who gives an ambulance a ticket?

I know this car park well. It is a private car park not owned by tesco. There are a number of shops there, including several take aways, a pub, a children’s nursery and a busy doctors. The car park has only recently been patrolled due to a number of issues with vehicles parking on double yellows and at the end of rows where there is no assigned space. I would disagree with the pp who thinks there is plenty of room to get round. There isn’t, especially with a big vehicle like an ambulance, and it restricts the view of pedestrians crossing to access the car park.

This video appeared on the local Facebook feed in a longer form. There are actually two ambulances there. One is parked in the disabled bays (a male paramedic) and one on the double yellow lines (the female shown in the shorter version of the video circulating). She is using Tesco, the other ambulance driver, you hear in the background, is in Dominoes pizza.

The guy recording calls the warden an ‘idiot’ more than 3 times. I think the warden takes it well. Video Guy is extremely rude to him and supremely confident that he is in the right. Paramedic lady also appears to threaten him at the end. The amount of abuse this warden has been subjected to is shameful either directly racist or insinuating that he is unfamiliar with British laws and culture.

Ambulances are subject to the rules of the road. Exemptions are made when they are attending a call - yes they were ‘on call’ but they were not attending an incident. They do themselves no favours for when they are attending genuine incidents. The comments about needing to be close to the shop so they can get out quickly are complete illogical when they’d be out even faster had they not been in there to begin with. Could he have cut them some slack? Well maybe but I see ambulances there all the time. It’s not a one off because something was going on, it’s a regular occurrence as the female references in her comments. The fetishisation of paramedics is irksome. They are indeed human like anyone else. The lack of comment from cheshire ambulance is telling too - I suspect they know that technically the drivers shouldn’t have done this. Probably ambulance lady does too however the intervention of video shouty guy escalated the situation.

Ambulances should only park in otherwise restricted areas when necessary for the performance of their duties. Doing so in order to make it easy for them to do a bit of shopping (even if it’s for their lunch) is an abuse of privilege. From the video is looked like they would have made it exceedingly difficult, perhaps even impossible, for another emergency vehicle who was actually attending an emergency to get past them. Given it’s an ambulance there were almost certainly two paramedics in it, so it would have been easy for the driver to stay with the vehicle and drive it round while the other went into the shop.

The abuse the parking guy received is appalling. People parking badly for their own convenience are a drain on everyone else. It’s really selfish and entitled behaviour and arguing with someone who is trying to keep things fair (and safe) for all the other road users is pretty twatish behaviour.

Most of us would not do that for ambulance staff.
We have some very over enthusiastic wardens around here - who seem to lurk behind bushes and then pounce far too quickly.