The Lansford Volunteer Ambulance Association last took calls in 2013, so it may have caught some off guard when their nearly-new looking ambulance rig showed up outside their old headquarters recently.

The reason was that the ambulance building, where the rig was parked since 2013, was sold to a local company last fall. But their new building contained an ambulance that they weren’t allowed to buy.

“We’re just trying to figure out who owns it, so they can take possession of it,” said Chris Albertini of Albertini Manufacturing and Supply.

AMS does HVAC work on trains and buses for cities like New York and Philadelphia. They bought the ambulance building last fall when they outgrew their current space in Lansford. Albertini said it was made clear when he bought the building last fall that the ambulance wasn’t included. They’re gearing up to move their operation this spring, so they needed to move the rig outside.

“We kept it in here for a few months, but we have to start doing work,” he said. “It’s an abandoned vehicle.”

Albertini said he hoped that by leaving it outside, it would draw attention to the ambulance, and maybe the owner would come forward. There’s no doubt that the appearance of the ambulance has caught neighbors’ attention. He and fellow employee Morgan Jones said they would like to see it go to a local ambulance company.

“We’re both PV graduates. It would be nice to improve the area,” Jones said.

When they bought the building they also got a fair amount of medical supplies — like bandages and neck braces. They are planning to donate that so it can be used to serve the community once again.

But they can’t do anything with the ambulance, because its owner is the now-defunct ambulance association.

The company stopped operating in June 2013 after a Pennsylvania Department of Health inspection revealed deficiencies in their vehicles and equipment. The company never reopened.

The borough is now covered by Lehighton Ambulance.

In 2016, the state filed a suit to dissolve the Lansford Volunteer Ambulance Association and have its corporate charter revoked. A Carbon County judge granted its request and appointed a lawyer to sell off the ambulance.

By that time, the association had racked up thousands in back taxes on the headquarters property, located at 31 E. Patterson St.

The lawyer, Michael Garfield, arranged the sale with AMS. He said there were also potential buyers who contacted him about the ambulance rig.

But it was bought with federal money, meaning it can’t just be sold for cash. Lansford Volunteer Ambulance Association bought the rig in 2011 with grant money from FEMA.

“Because of the fact that you can’t sell it, you’re stuck with it,” he said.

He credited Albertini for keeping the ambulance indoors for several months, but said that AMS was under no obligation to protect the ambulance, because they don’t own it.

Garfield said that getting FEMA to decide what to do with the ambulance has taken some time, but he is confident that the ambulance could have a new home soon.

While it can’t be sold, the rig can be transferred to another local ambulance company that has a use for it, as long as FEMA approves.

Albertini and Jones said if it were up to them, the rig would be returned to service helping local people.

“It would be nice to see it run locally since it was a local ambulance, I know people take pride in it,” Albertini said.