Oops! Ambulance on White House duty runs out of gas
An ambulance that attends to the White House was taken out of service last week because it ran out of gas, the Washington, D.C. fire department acknowledged Monday.
D.C. fire department spokesman Tim Wilson explained that the first-due medical responder to the White House ran out of fuel and was replaced by another unit, the Associated Press reports. Wilson could not confirm whether the vehicle was on motorcade duty.
The Washington Times reports that sources said the ambulance was there for motorcade duty and was left behind at the White House when the motorcade left on August 8.
President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama were headed to Rasika, an upscale Indian restaurant in Washington, D.C., to celebrate the president's 52nd birthday, but they had to make the trek without the emergency medical vehicle in tow.
Ordinarily, an ambulance dubbed "Medic 1" travels with the presidential motorcade and responds to emergency calls from the White House.
An internal investigation will determine whether the vehicle was properly fueled, Wilson said. He added that he does not know of any previously reported problem with the vehicle's fuel gauge, but sources told the Washington Times that the ambulance's fuel gauge was broken.