Get out of the way, it's a busy day

We‚Äôve all experienced it before, rush hour traffic, it’s hot and the kids are going nuts and what do¬†you see in the review mirror; a fire truck with all its emergency lights on, heading your way.¬† The proper thing to do is what? You pull over and let them pass safely, right?¬† Well if you do that your probably going to get your pretty clean car dirty, not to mention how hard it can be trying to get back on the road so what‚Äôs the alternative, Let’s out run it right?¬† Well that is just a bad idea and one that can cause accidents and in sometimes even death. So no good either.

We all suppose to know what the rule book says when it comes to emergency vehicles operating in such situations, but what really happens from the driver operator of that emergency vehicle’s point of view and how do they see things from their perspective, is a completely different story from the rule book.

I am a 14 year veteran with the Nassau County Fire/Rescue division and have¬†held the rank of¬†an Engineer/driver operator for the past 13 years.¬† My experience includes Rescue units, Fire trucks, tankers, ladder trucks, tower ladder trucks and ALS squads.¬† Most of these apparatus carry up to 3000 gallons of water weighing up to 100,000 lbs. ¬†¬†I have been very fortunate to be a part of a progressive¬†department that¬†has¬†afforded me the training and education that’s needed.¬† Along with a growing department I have watched our small county grow big, bringing along new people, housing and especially more automobiles¬†on the roads.¬† Our call volume has increased several hundred percent over the past few years and continues to increase each and every quarter.

Medical calls are by far the most that we respond to (94%), which significantly increases our time on the roads operating in emergency mode (medical calls normally include driving to the call and then to the hospital).

So what do¬†we as driver/operators see as both good and bad when it comes to driving characteristics of those faced with dealing with an emergency vehicle?¬† First following the driver‚Äôs handbook is always a safe bet, getting off the road and coming to a complete stop is best.¬† This rule is not only¬†for safety,¬†but other reasons as well. When cars exit the road we take full control of the highway giving us a clear unobstructed path to the emergency call.¬† Cars that exit the road let us know they see us and are aware of our presence and have control over that section of road.¬† Many times however, cars that make an effort to get off the road are really just confused, they see other cars doing it but have no idea why.¬† This often results in them pulling back on the road and placing themselves, and us, in harm’s way.

Then there are the drivers that become paralyzed when they hear the siren or see the flashing lights and simply stop exactly where they are, refusing to move until we have safely passed.  The problem with this scenario is that they often block us from passing, especially when they are in an intersection. They usually cause lots of congestion hampering all other drivers to get out of the way of the emergency vehicle.  Then you have the drivers who are too busy to be bothered with someone else’s problems, so they decide to out run the emergency vehicle.  In general this is the worst reaction by far and has resulted in horrific accidents, high fines and in some cases even death.

Last but not least there is the proverbial ambulance chaser who’s trying to piggy back on the speeding emergency vehicle. This is not smart. We have too many short bursts of braking and accelerating to be safe.

We all drive many miles each and every week and I‚Äôm willing to bet in the run of a year you probably only experience an emergency vehicle in your way less than ten times. So why not do the right thing?¬† If you’re not concerned about your safety,¬†think about the safety of¬†others on the road and the men and women who are doing their job to protect you in an emergency situation.

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