Car Dosnt move for Responding Aerial Ladder

[sr71 1]

o sh13t thats not needed for that if theres a unit on scene

[Monty 35]

On the subject of using different sirens.

When I joined, one of the guys who trained me in a lot of stuff was a self confessed Siren Buff. He actually taught me some good things about sirens, most of which I still use, most of which are probably very annoying. All our rigs have Electronic Sirens, Mechanical Q's and Airhorns. I was taught to use them in levels.

I was taught never to use the Mechanical going to a Medical, only to Fire calls. Airhorns were for added noise at intersections or heavy traffic. When two Sirens were used they should be on different sounds, since the Q only has one, the electronic must have a sound that doesn't mesh with the Q. I have since adapted the no Q on medicals to use the Q as another level if traffic seems heavy.

I have no idea if there was ever anything scietific behind these rules, but I bet they were passed down from senior guy to probie more than once. I can't say I use them exclusively, but they do seem to work, when approaching non yielding traffic being able to add another layer onto the audible warning moves people over a fair amount of the time.

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Quite a few years ago when I was taking a class of some sort (EMT?) there was a video shown. The camera was inside a car, engine idling, radio playing, and the camera facing the rear view mirror. They had an engine drive up behind using a siren - this was repeated several times using the different types of sirens. Basically the wail and yelp were heard the furtherst away. The Q was the least effective.

Another thing I was told - take it with a pinch of salt - was that if you were following another truck, to use a different siren (like hi-lo). Theory was that drivers would hear two sirens and realise there was two emergency vehicles. Kind of goes to alsfirefighter's point about these new dual speaker sirens.

[27east 19]

Driving in traffic

how about this kind of driving. it is to a car fire that look to be under control.

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That's computer done, I hope. No person (cough) would ever drive like that..(cough again)

I'm not sure it matters what you are responding to in order to justify driving like that. I was scared, and I'm watching the video.

[BIGRED1 71]

i wish it was computer done but some where there is a department that's SOP's say this is all good. from the looks of it it is a one car fire. maybe a overheated engine who knows, but it was not a 5 alarm, people hanging out of windows fire. the guy goes all out in the wrong lane and i am glad that it was traffic cause that most likely stopped alot of cars from turning down the road. think about how many times you have turned onto lets say central ave and couldn't really see what was up the ways a bit. now think if this fire engine is roaring up the road. could get ugly real fast.

i do like the part, about 25 sec in, where he basicly rams the cars, hoping they get out of the way.

a classic video of how NOT to drive.

Edited August 11, 2006 by ECLEMENTE

[IzzyEng4 427]

Quite a few years ago when I was taking a class of some sort (EMT?) there was a video shown. The camera was inside a car, engine idling, radio playing, and the camera facing the rear view mirror. They had an engine drive up behind using a siren - this was repeated several times using the different types of sirens. Basically the wail and yelp were heard the furtherst away. The Q was the least effective.

Another thing I was told - take it with a pinch of salt - was that if you were following another truck, to use a different siren (like hi-lo). Theory was that drivers would hear two sirens and realise there was two emergency vehicles. Kind of goes to alsfirefighter's point about these new dual speaker sirens.

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CBS did a siren test years ago with a car, windows up, radio up and had used the Q, electronic wail / yelp combo, air horns and also the Europeam hi / low air horns. The test was done when all the audible warning devices were moved off the top of the rigs to the fron t bumper (same hight as vehicle drivers and passengers). The wail / yelp was the worst since you could not hear it until the rig was at you back bumper, mainly since the frequencies used are reall a 4 tone combination of sorts. The Q could be heard, when used from almost 10 car lengths away, the European hi / low hors were roughly the same and the air horns you could hear about 3 or 4 car lengths back.

What does this mean? Drivers should pay more attention while operating a vehicle and be mor conscience when driving. There is no perfect siren unfortunately in my opinion though I think a combination of Q electronic and air horns are the best. Make as much noise as possible.

[helicopper 1,050]

Driving in traffic

how about this kind of driving. it is to a car fire that look to be under control.

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Splitting lanes in the WRONG direction on a divided highway and riding down a turn lane at high speed is a recipe for disaster. As someone else said, if people aren't hanging out of windows, that's excessive.

I'm sure that the presence of the video camera in the cab heightened the drivers "motivation" but it certainly did nothing to improve his (or any other drivers) reaction time.

I'm glad that kind of driving is the exception rather than the rule!

[sr71 1]

id never drive like that i almost shat my pants and im here on my pc

un real

[Guest goldfrach]

A while back, I was driving an ambulance to the scene of a cadiac arrest with full lights and sirens, when a woman in her SUV pulled in front of mw cutting me off. When I hit the air horn, she responded by sticking her hand out the window and giving me the bird. I simpally responded by notifing PD of my location and the license plate of the woman. Within about one minute, two PD untis came from behind me and cut her off, ultimately ending in her arrest for failing to move for an emergency vehicle.

Im not sure if people don't see the lights/sirens or just don't care anymore. This incident was the second time some person refused to pull over for me. The frist time this happened, the car in front of me was the father of the patient we were trying to get to...he just didn't know it yet.

[helicopper 1,050]

A while back, I was driving an ambulance to the scene of a cadiac arrest with full lights and sirens, when a woman in her SUV pulled in front of mw cutting me off.  When I hit the air horn, she responded by sticking her hand out the window and giving me the bird.  I simpally responded by notifing PD of my location and the license plate of the woman.  Within about one minute, two PD untis came from behind me and cut her off, ultimately ending in her arrest for failing to move for an emergency vehicle. 

Im not sure if people don't see the lights/sirens or just don't care anymore.  This incident was the second time some person refused to pull over for me.  The frist time this happened, the car in front of me was the father of the patient we were trying to get to...he just didn't know it yet.

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Most people just don't care. Courtesy is gone and everyone thinks they're more important than anyone else especially on the road.

I WISH we heard more stories like yours... But you know the deal, there's never a cop around when you need one!

[x134 46]

The public is def dumb and blind

[RWC130 594]

Watch out for "unmarked" white box trucks!

Interesting video....

I think if the driver had cut left maybe ONE FOOT he could have passed the car

but he was too busy on the Air Horns and Federal Q.

I read an article a while back how some drivers especially the young and elderly panic and don't know what to do. Has it happened to you?

Drivers just Stop, Go Right, Go Left???

In the article this happened to a CHP Police Officer going to a call when the driver just stopped in his path blocking him. Lights and Siren NO RESPONSE from the vehicle operator. The PO turned off the siren and blew the car horn. LOL!

The driver pulled to the right and he continued on to the emergency.

I am sure the CHP officer was lil pissed but he used his head.

NOT EVERYONE YIELDS THE RIGHT OF WAY and sometimes you have to

just deal with it and do your best to arrive SAFE!

Edited August 15, 2006 by RWC130