FireLink

the biggest step to preventing these accidents is drivers training.  Just because we may have the right of way doesnt mean we should abuse it like people are doing.  Departments need to start making protocol that either their rigs stop at intersection no matter the color of light  or atleast slow way down until the all clear is given to proceed through the intersection.

I agree with you both. I hope you did not take the wrong way but yea we are rushing to a scene but we also need to take precaution. I am not blaming it on us nor the citizens.  LikeI said I did not mean that we have the right away, all trucks should slow down enough that they can see the intersection. Since firefighting is a team carreer the crew should help the driver thanks and sorry again.

Claing92 says ...

Every day we are hearing more and more incidents that fire fighters are geting hurt or worse killed by accidents. The fire apparatus has the right away. Some accidents are not avoidable such as when two fire units are responding to the same call but can't hear each other due to the loud air horn/ siren. What do you think should be done. Enough is enough something needs to be done or at least steps taking to help prevent this. Am I right or wrong please explain why or why not?

Red lights and sirens only have the right of way if it is given them by the motorist.  Our state and city ordinance is that they are requesting the right of way and motorist are suppose to move to the right and yield to emergency vehicles, some actually do.  The thing that is most distressing to me is the number of emergency vehicles that are colliding with each other.  We have something that avg. motorist do not have and that is a means of communication with each other and the knowledge that other emergency vehicles are responding to a certain location.  They don't move stations overnight.  Our apparatus operators should have a basic idea where they may intersect other such vehicles and communicate or be extra cautious in that area.  We are killing each other going on calls that often seem to be bogus anyway.

What can be done?  Most everyone has SOPs in place to take care of reckless, speeding out of control operators.  Enforcement needs to be practiced before our 110 a year fatailties increases.  Make it cost someone before it cost someone life or injury. I love the speed and understand the urgency to get to a call but at what price are we willing to pay

Driver's Slow down and look around at intersections! Don't get tunnel vision trying to be the first one on scene! It's not a race, it's a rescue! How can you help people if you become the emergency? Lights and sirens don't make you the boss! they tend to panic most drivers rather than warn them! While trying to get out of our way alot of people end up screwing up! We know this. Of course there are some idiots on the road who just don't give a ______ about what we try to do and seem to deliberately get in our way. But, alot of our driver's tend to get in too big a hurray when driving to a scene. This IS our fault! Yes, sometimes seconds matter, but, is driving 60 through an intersection really gonna save the victim if we plow through someone creating 4 or 5 more victims? I don't think so! 

I am a new driver and completed  the EVDT class several months ago and am in full agreement with everything said on this post. I had to drive the bus to the hospital some time ago and found ohter drivers just coming to a complete stop in front of the bus. WOW , we just need to be aware.

EVOC is the class I think you need to take before you can become a driver. People dont care until they need us. And when we hit them because they dont know how to drive they wonder why. In this society people need to learn how to reaaly drive and care for and watch out beaware of emergency vehicles.