South Haven Area Emergency Services is following a decades-old tradition by placing the image of Yosemite Sam on its new heavy duty rescue truck. SHAES says the department settled on the Looney Tunes character as its mascot when it was first formed, and obtained permission from Warner Brothers to display him for non-commercial purposes. Since then, Yosemite Sam has been depicted on SHAES vehicles engaged in different activities that represent what the vehicle is used for. For example, tanker trucks show him carrying buckets of water. The new rescue truck shows Sam holding the Jaws-of-Life extrication tool. SHAES Chief Brandon Hinz says the decal is “a great tradition that brings smiles to not only the public, but our responders as they go about the serious business of protecting the community.”
