20 replies to this topic

[Sara_the_Brown]

Something else to keep in mind is that not all police calls require lights and sirens. So if you see the police driving faster than the speed limit, they might not be abusing their privleges, but rapidly responding to a call.

[peterbj7]

Must add my 2p's worth! I once heard of a car driver stopped at a red light somewhere in Britain when an emergency vehicle came up behind. There was no way past the stopped car and the driver realised that, so very carefully he drove forward and sideways to give enough room for the emergency vehicle to pass. The driver was filmed by a remote camera and prosecuted for going over the junction. He was fined and his licence was endorsed. The emergency service protested this judgement as they were afraid it would result in drivers in similar circumstances refusing to move, and I'm glad to say sense prevailed and the conviction was overturned. However, I was once ordered by a police officer to do something that ordinarily would have been illegal and I refused unless he put the instruction in writing. He then threatened to book me for obstruction but I stuck to my guns. By then the reason for the original instruction had gone away. I complained to his superiors and cited my story above as justification.

Anyway, I was recently in England and on one occasion saw flashing blue lights behind me so pulled to the side. The ambulance that passed me had a police car escort and was barely moving at 30mph. It then crossed a red light at a major intersection ahead of me, maintaining its very slow speed. I wonder how many drivers cursed this vehicle, not realising that it probably had a serious back injury on board? After I broke my back in a parachute accident many years ago, I was apparently rushed (unconscious) to the nearest emergency hospital 30 miles away cross-country with a police car and police motorcycle escort at a speed rarely exceeding 25mph.

These guys do a difficult job in sometimes gratuitously difficult circumstances, made more so by the lack of imagination and comprehension of casual road users. Yet quite a few people (myself included) owe their lives to these people and their professionalism.

[Scubatooth]

Something else to keep in mind is that not all police calls require lights and sirens. So if you see the police driving faster than the speed limit, they might not be abusing their privleges, but rapidly responding to a call.

that would be a code 2 response and typically is when there responding to a call were they might not want to alert a suspect. Due to the increased risk of a accident code 2 responses.


Here's a list if what code responses mean for law enforcement/EMS

Code 1 = normal speed response / no emergancy.
Code 2 = stepped up response lights may or may not be used. No sirens
Code 3 = emergancy response lights/sirens drive at a justifiable speed to get to location.

But dont confuse this with priority numbers as there meaning is opposite of code responses.

Priority 3 = non life threatening non emergent transport.
Priority 2 = emergent transport possibly life threatening but not as critical as priority 1. light and sirens maybe used depending on situation
Priority 1 = life threatening emergancy/unstable patient (major trauma, cardiac or respiratory arrest in progess). This is always a code 3 response, and you may hear radio traffic of " be advised medic 123 is code three priority one to xyz"



As for police escort I have mixed feelings as long as there not infront of me or there leap frogging to block intersections I don't mind but I will not be the second vechiles in the convoy as statistically most drivers will see the first emergancy vechiles but not even see the second and are more likely to end up in a collison with the second unit as they will pull out in the intersection after the first vechiles is through thinking it's clear when it's not.

As for the slow roll code 3 run that's typically for patients we can't jar due to trauma, pain, etc or I'm working in the back ( starting IV's or other invasive procedures) and heading to the hospital slowly so as not to waste time on scene. Then once I'm set my partner will take off and get up to speed. In any case slow/smooth is fast and fast is slow. I know our trauma patients have appreciated us being smooth as they have made comments on our smooth driving despite the fact that we were going with the flow of traffic or a touch faster. That as well as when your driving the box you have to be aware of nit the forces you are putting on the truck but how they effect those in the back as what's minor force in the front is many times that in the back and you maybe throwing everyone around

[ddierolf]

Something else to keep in mind is that not all police calls require lights and sirens. So if you see the police driving faster than the speed limit, they might not be abusing their privleges, but rapidly responding to a call.

Well I did see a cop exceeding the speed limit and come up on a red light. He turned on his lights, went through the red light and turned into Dunken Doughnuts. I guess that cop got the call "Fresh pot on?" I am serious, I actually witnessed this happen! Oh someone should also tell the people with the blue lights, they still have to obey traffic laws!

[Scubatooth]

Something else to keep in mind is that not all police calls require lights and sirens. So if you see the police driving faster than the speed limit, they might not be abusing their privleges, but rapidly responding to a call.

Well I did see a cop exceeding the speed limit and come up on a red light. He turned on his lights, went through the red light and turned into Dunken Doughnuts. I guess that cop got the call "Fresh pot on?" I am serious, I actually witnessed this happen! Oh someone should also tell the people with the blue lights, they still have to obey traffic laws!

I hope you documented the event and sent a note to the chief about the incident as that's a abuse of power and a safety issue. mentioning safety in a compliant will get it noticed real quick and dealt with asap.

That ranks up there with Santa Fe air one doing a flight so they could swoop in and grab coffee and donuts for the crew and them took off. Only problem is it was witnessed by a local reporter who put it out in the fore front in the news and in the end the crew got fired if I remember correctly for all the heat the department took over the expensive coffee/donut break.

[Fordan]

Back when I was an EMS volunteer (1989-ish), state law (NY) said that emergency vehicles were only exempted from traffic laws if they were running both lights and siren, something most police did seem to ignore.

Lots of other stupid emergency vehicle crap came up as well. Firefighters who thought their blue or green volunteer responder lights allowed them to break the law, two of whom collided at an intersection at high speed while responding to a fire call (think it was a 4-way stop). Even with "real" emergency lights & siren, if you get into an accident while speeding/running a red light/wrong way on a one-way street, it's your fault.

And at least when I worked, we did have real "ambulance drivers." No special medical training, just there to drive the ambulance and help with the gurney.