Incident: MVA
I was driving the engine at our station just the other day. We were dispatched to a major highway accident. As we pulled out onto the approach, we had to wait for what appeared to be a female driver in a red car. She wasn't paying attention, and only stopped after she passed the station. We pulled out with lights and siren, and while going down the road, she passed us. Of course, dirty words were spoken. My Captain and I fought for the air horn. She was slowed down by traffic and we passed her. She zoomed over and passed us again. My captain was livid! He used words that I think he made up. I yelled at her too. The problem is that her little red car can maneuver and zoom in and out of lanes, but she could cut us off or leave us with no lane to get into if something happened, and a thirty-thousand pound fire engines don't stop like a little car. The fact was she was endangering us, and those around us.
As we approached an intersection that took us out to the highway, she was caught at the red light. We ran the light and turned left. Within the block she caught us and passed us again! As we approached the scene of the accident, traffic was shut down to one lane on the highway going West. She wasn't in it. She got caught in the left lane, we blocked the only lane that was open, and she was stuck. As my captain got out he saw one of the RCMP patrol officers. He yelled to him and pointed at her and said "Ticket that Lady!"
I'm not sure if it was the look on his face, or the fact that that particular policeman was a known friend of ours but he said "Alright". He pointed at her and had her pull over more onto the shoulder and get out her license and insurance papers. We proceeded to work the wreck. We got everybody sorted out and those that needed it headed to the hospital in the ambo. We were cleaning the fluids and sweeping the debris from the road and directing traffic around the wreck. I think we had been on scene about ten or fifteen minutes when things had settled down. The officer calmly walked over to us. He had his clipboard out, with her license and insurance on it. He had his ticket book, with a partially filled out ticket on it. He leaned over and asked "So, what am I giving her a ticket for?"
My captain told him about her driving. He said "OK", and walked back over to her filling out the ticket.
When approached by an emergency vehicle, the law says to pull over to the closest parallel edge of the roadway and yield the right of way to the emergency vehicle. An emergency vehicle is one with an audible siren and/or siren and emergency flashing lights. When driving and approaching an emergency scene, slow down and move over. In other words - “Give us a brake!” A person should know that we can read and we will grab your license plate number and report you to the authorities for your carelessness.
Most people do abide and move aside. We sincerely appreciate those that do because they make our job easier.
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HoseMonkey
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