Fire Engine Hits Vehicle in Buffalo

[Guest]

http://www.wgrz.com/news/news_article.aspx...x?storyid=26199

[afd65 4]

shows u need your seirn and horn goin when going through an intersection

[mstrang1 213]

It does not mention who had the ROW, but even so, all fire dept vehicles and other emergency vehicles are supposed to slow at greens, and STOP at red lights. All too often I have been riding the back or the officer seat and had the driver fly through red lights. It scares the S#%& out of me. I have no problem confronting drivers and/or saying something to captains about people who constantly disobey traffic violations.

And also, no matter time of day, sirens shall be used. Not to place blame, but that driver should have been using the siren, at least through the intersection.

[mstrang1 213]

As a sidenote, I was involved in an accident involving the engine I was driving. RETURNING from a call on a busy 3 lane road in our first due district, the car in front of me suddenly stopped. Initially, I could not figure out why, when traffic in both other lanes continued. The light had turned yellow, and the car in front of me stopped suddenly. In my head I knew that this traffic light had an extra long yellow, and assumed, like most other NY drivers, that a yellow is like a green. wrong. I slammed the brakes, but could not stop in time. I swear if I had 5 more feet. There was traffic on both sides, so no swerve was possible. I pushed the stopped car into the crosswalk, luckily no pedestrians were there, as it is normally a busy crosswalk.

Since then, I have learned to appreciate BRAKING DISTANCE more. Anyone who has crashed an engine(or truck) realizes that stopping distances are looong. Longer than you may realize. That is all. for now.