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Emergency Vehicle Safety
 Ambulance drivers, police, and other emergency responders are life-savers. Each day when they walk into work, they know their split-second decisions could help someone survive a dangerous situation, condition, or injury. But many factors contribute to how well an emergency responder can do his or her job. One of the largest of these is traffic.
“It’s everyone’s job to contribute to public safety—not just police, fire fighters and ambulance teams,” says Angela Helms, an EMT from Penobscot Valley Hospital. “Your reaction to an emergency vehicle could give a person a much greater chance of survival or prolong the wait for life-saving treatment.”
More and more, Helms and other PVH ambulance team members say they have been seeing drivers react in a confusing manner to emergency vehicles, but the laws are clear. When an emergency vehicle is approaching with its lights and sirens on, all other vehicles are required to pull over as far as possible to the right and then stop and wait for the emergency vehicle to pass. Also, a driver should not follow within 500 feet of fire apparatus traveling in response to a fire alarm or within 150 feet of any other authorized emergency vehicle which is using an emergency light.
Lincoln has a number of trouble spots, including red lights with four-way stops. In general, when the light is red and an emergency vehicle comes up behind you, stay right where you are, and allow the ambulance or other vehicle to maneuver around you. If you are about to go through a green light, proceed through the intersection and then pull over as soon as possible to allow the ambulance to pass.
Helms says the intersection by Irving on West Broadway is confusing for folks, especially when all the lanes are full. The four-way intersection on Route 2 in Enfield is also a tricky place. “Again, if you’re going straight, stay stopped,” she says. “Traffic that is moving should either pull to the right before the intersection or proceed through the light and pull to the right as soon as possible.” Generally, if you’re in a right, turning lane, turn right to clear a path for the ambulance, and then pull to the side of the road.
Some drivers don’t appear to hear emergency vehicles approaching. PVH Emergency Department Director Jill Bouchard says as vehicles become more soundproof and stereo systems are more advanced, it becomes more difficult to hear the world outside our cars. “Remember,” she says, “When you don’t see or hear the emergency vehicle approaching and do not move to the right to let them pass you are delaying our response time. The person or property in danger could be one of your loved ones or your own home.” |
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