At Least They Didn’t Call It “Mark’s Law”

I would hate to be remembered this way:

The City Council has revived a proposal to buy special “jumbo” ambulances for the morbidly obese, officials told The Post.

The idea for the ambulances — which can easily transport people over 500 pounds — has languished in the council for years, but now lawmakers plan to hold a hearing on the issue on Tuesday.

It was spurred by the plight of labor leader, 420-pound Mark Rosenthal, who suffered a stroke in 2003.

The District Council 37 representative was forced to lie strapped on an ambulance floor, because the stretcher couldn’t fit him.

“We have to ensure that no one has to ride on the floor of an ambulance again; we would not stand for it for any protected group,” said Councilman James Sanders Jr. (D-Queens), the bill’s sponsor.

. . .

A spokesman for American Medical Response said the company developed its “bariatric” ambulance because the demand was growing.

The vehicle costs about $50,000 more than their average, $75,000-$100,000 ambulances.

“Generally the use of the vehicles are prearranged,” said Eric Berthel, spokesman for the company. “We have placed them in our larger markets and we were among the first to recognize the need for this kind of service.”

Rosenthal said the ambulances would prove to be cost-effective for the city and could come in handy for transporting multiple people in a catastrophic event.

“There is a use for them,” he said. “The only difference is they are lion-size.”