Fanbulance Unit 12 Delivers Seahawks Spirit, Community Outreach Across Whidbey Island

A lime-green-and-blue "Fanbulance" rolled into Coupeville, drawing kids, fans and traffic on Island County streets as it brought Seahawks pride to a local rally and a school visit. The repurposed Unit 12, a retired ambulance now serving as a fan-focused, first-response-style tailgating rig, matters to residents as a mobile piece of community outreach and a feel-good attraction for families.

Fanbulance Unit 12 carries nearly 400,000 miles on the odometer and is described as a 25-year-old ambulance that worked medical calls on Whidbey Island for decades. The exterior is painted Seahawks blue and lime-green and fitted with matching lights. Inside, the stretcher has been converted into a barbecue grill and buffet station, a TV is mounted for entertainment, and the rig is decked with player signatures and swag that make it a rolling shrine to the team.

Rob Brown and his wife, Sherri Brown, operate the Fanbulance from North Whidbey. Rob, a former EMT who once drove Unit 12 on medical calls, said, "It's tricked out to be the ultimate tailgating rig" and added, "It's just fun to drive around. It gets very noticed." Sherri, who trained to be a medic and met Rob 47 years ago, said, "We, uh, kinda clicked!" The couple describes maintaining the vehicle as a labor of love: "It's been a little labor of love to keep it running and running."

Community roots for the Fanbulance trace to a local refurbishment and fundraising raffle that returned the vehicle to public life. Local accounts and the man who refurbished it say the ambulance was raffled as a fundraiser in 2014 and that the Browns bought it from Sherri's father in 2015 after he won that drawing. Some national briefs list a 2017 raffle under a different charity; the local timeline with the 2014 fundraiser and 2015 acquisition is the more detailed account and is treated as the more credible chronology pending further verification.

Fanbulance Unit 12 has been active around Whidbey Island and the North Sound, with Rob noting, "We have sort of a Tri-County area we like to respond to, and that would be Whatcom, Skagit and Island." Recent stops included a Seahawks rally in Coupeville and a visit to Coupeville Elementary where Rob asked, "Who wants to see inside the 'Fanbulance'?" and many children answered, "Me!" Students described it as "awesome" and remarked on its signatures and decorations.

Autographs reportedly include Jim Zorn, Jemaine Kearse, Manu Tuiasosopo and Marcus Trufant, and the rig has become a small-town spectacle that bridges sports fandom and civic welcome. Ron Wallin, who helped refurbish the vehicle, put the outreach in civic terms: "With all of the negativity in the world, it's nice to see people just excited about it, all the smiles and people just talking about it."

For Island County readers, the Fanbulance is more than a novelty: it is a mobile meeting point that brings children closer to local history, keeps Seahawks fever alive in schoolyards and rallies, and offers a reminder that community projects can turn retired equipment into public joy. Expect more local appearances as the Browns navigate maintenance and mileage limits while keeping Unit 12 on the road.