[octanejay]

tricky one this and i see it from both sides, here in wales we follow simple guidance when working for the ambulance service, when a rig is out even if it is not under blue lights then it is "on call to respond" and as such it is not recommended that we park in areas that will become blocked or delay response times, i.e multi storey car-parks, busy retail parks or the likes, We do have designated standby points for the rural crews im most of the major towns and surrounding areas, Meal breaks well i know most of our crews would love them to be designated times, but in the real world thats just not possible we have to eat when we can, and yes this sometimes means parking illegally in the yes of some, however common sense is often applied here all rigs are 2 man crews apart from the first responders so the passenger runs in whilst medic or driver waits with the unit therefore allowing it to be moved easily in the event it has caused a problem....now we move onto the non blue light units, with those we are told you cant park anywhere that you wouldn't normally park your own vehicles, as they are non emergency and as such not on call to respond to any incidents. we do have a lot of leeway with local authorities and most exempt us from parking charges in the line of duty...so to answer the question No if on call they shouldn't get parking tickets, but if they are causing an obstruction thats a different kettle of fish common sense needs applying both sides of the argument here