SPRING HILL, Fla. (WFLA) – A duo in Hernando County are bringing the beverages to events around the Tampa Bay area in a very unique way.
Jeffrey Jackson and Devin Mormando volunteered in the 1991 fire truck they now run for events. They saw the truck in an auction and new they had to have it.
“We used to volunteer on it back at our volunteer department locally. We saw it on the auction block, decided we wanted to pick it up before it went anywhere else, and started just shooting ideas back and forth,” said Jackson. “Came up with a beer truck. Mostly, a tap truck. So we can do anything through here, not just beer or liquor. We can do multiple different beverages.”
Finding the truck they began their careers on as volunteers was astounding. But, it’s not an opportunity Mormando and Jackson initially jumped on.
“It was kind of mind-blowing because it just happened to be, a friend was looking, he works for a company to purchase ambulances, just happened to see it and said, ‘hey are you interested in buying this? I happened see it was, I think it was in Tampa, for sale on the auction block,'” said Jackson. “We looked at it. We actually didn’t get it the first time around, someone else picked it up. But they didn’t really know what they had. So they put it back on the auction block and we picked it up immediately after.”
While the tap house fire truck can provide all kinds of liquor, beer and wine, it doesn’t have to be alcoholic for Thirst Responders to serve it at your event. Any form of alcohol much be purchased by those holding the event for the bartending service to provide.
In Florida, liquor laws are strict.
Response to Thirst Responders has been growing, even prior to their official opening announcement. Mormando and Jackson held their “family and friends” event this week and said it was “extremely nostalgic” because some of the guys in attendance had previously worked with them.
“So the last 11 years, they have been around this truck, working and now it’s kind of in the same area, but on a different life,” said Jackson.
“I feel like she almost got a second chance on life, because for the first like 25 years of her life, she really responded to everybody’s worst day. So now, her second life, she gets to respond to everybody’s best day,” said Mormando.
Those interested in booking with Thirst Responders can do so through their Facebook page and online.
“We’re always out there. We’re serving other people in different capacity. So I think being able to serve people, actually put a smile on their face, to me, that would be the best part,” said Mormando.
