The big topic and issue with people stopping or slowing down and moving over for emergency vehicles. Another big issue is people stopping for school buses with their lights on while unloading or loading students.
I know I wrote about this before, but it will always be a huge issue. It’s seeming like everyone is such in a rush today that they cannot slow down or move over for emergency vehicles. I know it’s a big issue with people stopping for school buses too. I don’t understand the thinking behind drivers that fail to slow down, move over, or stop for emergency vehicles and school buses with their lights on. Do they think they do not need to or is there an entitlement or something? Maybe someone can explain this to me!
First responders want to go home at the end of the day.
When an emergency vehicle has its lights and sirens on while driving this usually means that it’s a serious call. We should get in the habit of praying or saying some wishful/hopeful thoughts for the first responders and the person they are trying to help. When the lights and sirens are on while an emergency vehicle is driving move over to the right, slow down and stay out of their way. This isn’t a race and never just stop in front of them. These vehicles travel faster than you think and the bigger vehicles like ambulances and fire trucks are very heavy and do not stop like a car. One thing to remember about ambulances is they have a lot of equipment in the back. If they stop hard or take a turn hard (sharp or fast) turn they are throwing the first responders and equipment in the back of the truck. Portable oxygen tanks and monitors weigh 10 to 15 lbs. If this piece of equipment goes flying and hits you, you will get hurt!
Stopped emergency vehicles.
If an emergency vehicle is stopped with its lights on slow down and move over. They are working on an active scene and the last thing they want to worry about is getting hit. I feel this should be a no brainer but more and more first responders are being hit and killed because someone feels they are more important or above the first responders working an active scene. Recently a Michigan State Trooper Joel Popp lost his life because someone failed to slow down and move over. Instead, they hit the trooper and killed him. We are all doing a job like you when you are at work. Do you like to go home at the end of your workday?
Things to know about emergency vehicles and scenes.
If an emergency vehicle like an ambulance is still stopped at a traffic light that went from red to green, there is probably a reason. Maybe that vehicle is getting an emergency call, and they are putting it into their GPS. Ambulances will sometimes stay stopped even though the light just turned green because the first responder in back is doing something critical to the patient in the back. So, never honk your horn at an emergency vehicle, there is a reason they are not moving.
If a road is closed because of an accident, it’s to keep everyone safe including you. There could be debris in the road that you do not need to run over. First responders are working in the middle of the roadway and do not want to be hit. We hate shutting roads down but will do it for safety reasons. If a road is closed, we work as quickly as we can to get the roadway open, so traffic doesn’t back up too far.
If an ambulance has its lights and sirens on while driving, then the call they are responding to or the patient in the back is very critical. Ambulances use their lights and sirens when someone is going to die or lose a limb (like an arm or leg). Let the ambulance get to the call or hospital. Someone is need of help and might die. So, every time you delay that ambulance while their lights and sirens are on you are possibly killing someone.
Fire trucks will run lights and sirens to save someone’s life too. If the call is not life and death fire trucks and ambulances do not use their lights and sirens. Fires are life and death especially if someone is trapped in a burning home. Accidents are life and death especially if someone hits their head on something or if something is penetrating them after the accident.
Fire trucks are used to block the main part of an accident for a couple of reasons. They are big and usually you can’t miss them. They also can block most of the accident scene which protects bystanders, first responders and the ambulance. If the ambulance needs to transport someone the fire truck makes sure no one hits it and takes it out of service.
Looking for a payout?
If you think that you can cut off an emergency vehicle and they will hit you, so you can get a payout you are wrong. All emergency vehicles have dash cams! The police can and will pull the dash camera footage and if you are at fault, you will pay a fine. If someone loses their life because you wanted a payout and you are found at fault you can serve time in jail as well as get fined and possibly sued. That payout is not worth someone’s life including yours.
School buses.
This topic and issue are huge. If you think you have a right to pass a school bus that has its lights on while students are getting on or off, then you are wrong. Emergency vehicles with their lights and sirens on cannot pass a school bus if they have their lights on! So, why do you think you can? Saving one life is not worth endangering one or more lives. Emergency vehicles will wait for the school bus driver to make sure the students are not going to get hit before turning off their lights. Once that happens the emergency vehicle will pass the school bus.
I was going to include some real-life scenarios that happened to me as a first responder, but this blog is long enough. If you would like to know anything about first responders and EMS comment below.
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