Today's lesson...
PULL TO THE F#$%&*G RIGHT AND STOP!!!!!!!!!!
Due to 3 - yes 3 - near collisions and moronic drivers yesterday alone, y'all get a lesson in Emergency Vehicle Operation. Or, more appropriate, what to do in case an Emergency Vehicle is approaching. Simple stuff really... I thought it was taught in school but I guess cutbacks and whatnot.
Ok here we go. Ready?
Really Ready? Got your seatbelt on? Mirrors adjusted? Stereo at an appropriate level (not rattling the windows in the car NEXT to you?)
Ok... you're really ready now!
PULL TO THE RIGHT AND F#$%&*G STOP!
there, was that so hard? :laugh:
Jesus, 3 times yesterday, I came inches from getting whacked and had poor drivers interrupt our responses. I can guarantee I would not have been the one getting cited! I mean really, does no one remember the basics? Emergency Vehicle coming up behind you... pull to the right and stop. One coming from the front... pull to the right and stop (unless you are on a divided road or otherwise separated like concrete dividers and such). And here's my favorite - one coming head on at you IN YOUR LANE... guess what? PULL TO THE RIGHT AND STOP! :laugh: I love that one... everytime I go head on, I tell the guys I love my job. And yes, sometimes it's required due to the dividers on roads and such. And promise, if an Emergency Vehicle is doing so, there IS a reason. It's too dangerous to do it for a drunk bum complaining his toe hurts - it's a heart attack, fire with trapped people, something real.
So... my three incidents:
#1) Going to a fire (actual honest to God fire, not an alarm or BS smoke in the area). Traveling the normal direction of travel, major road with posted 45mph limit. 4 lane, divided roadway. 3 emergency vehicles in a 'train' - I'm leading the way in an engine company (water & hose), heavy rescue following, followed by battalion chief. Mid-afternoon, medium traffic. So we are doing within the allowed 10MPH over the limit as approved by the dept and the state. Cars are all over! One car pulls to the right (YAY!), one pulls to the LEFT and one STOPS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE LANE by slamming on his brakes! I'm effectively blocked from forward travel. Options are to go over the center divider (poor choice in big rig) or sit behind car #2 in left lane (my lane) and rattle his windows with the air horn till he moves. I choose air horn! After a few seconds of this he gets the idea and we continue on, after a slowdown. But that's not the end! The final part of the trip down this road, there is a center divider blocking our left turn we need to do. So just before is a left turn cut in the divider, but it's 2 blocks to soon, and the road does not connect to the one we need. So, I take the turn, but proceed (with extreme caution!) the wrong way down the opposite side of the road. Good GOD you would have thought the world was coming to an end. NO ONE knew what to do. I always go very cautiously, but good grief we're lucky we didn't get into a head on collision or cause one. All three vehicles had to serpentine thru about 8 cars to make our turn.
#2) Responding to a heart attack we are traveling down the same road, me in the engine, with an ambulance following. Everyone is pulling to the right (YAY!) but one pickup (BOO!) he continues down the left lane, at speed, not realizing why all these cars in front of him are pulling over and stopping. Must be his lucky day! I'm on the airhorn, flashing highbeams, red lights and siren blaring, and still this clueless moron keeps on blocking the only open lane. for 3 miles!!!!!!! Finally we pass the police station just as an officer is leaving the parking lot - he sees us and realizes what is going on , so there's a cloud of tire smoke and soon a cop car is passing us (he got on the center divider!) and he damn near rams the pickup to get him to pull over. We go blazing past as the officer is nearly pulling the guy out of the truck and that's the last we see. I heard from the cop later at the hospital (heart attack didn't make it) that the kid had no idea we were there... stereo was BLARING and he just never saw us. Nice fat ticket the kid got.
#3) Here's why you stop and STAY stopped. Responding to a fire alarm, in a usual false alarm building, so we're not breaking the speed limit even with light and sirens (still gotta go, as that ONE time won't be a false alarm!) this car pulls to the right and stops (YAY) but as soon as I'm next to the car, she starts to go forward. HOWEVER... she is parked right by the street I need to turn on! As I slow and start to make my turn (with turn signal!), my firefighter in the rear seat hollers "she's moving!" (he watches my blind spot) I hit the brakes while cranking the wheel hard left... and she misses the side of the truck so close that the firefighter looking down out of the window cannot see pavement. She has a wild look of fright on her face gripping the wheel with white knuckles as she continued forward past us!
So... moral and lesson to these stories is PULL TO THE F#$%&*G RIGHT AND STOP!
:laugh:
(Smoked Pork was really good BTW)