[Rant Boss]

Written by Bill Whitney, originally featured on the home page.

Motor vehicle collisions are one of those jobs that we go to on a regular basis. The highways and roads are dangerous enough without one or more vehicles becoming involved in a collision with “something”. Each collision seems to come with its own cast of characters who you would swear left their brains and common sense at home! Every so often you are honored with being able to observe a plethora of “stupid driver tricks” that will magically take place before your very eyes. You have to wonder if the State has changed the driver’s license exam from a written and practical test to one where they put a mirror under their nose to if they see vapor when the applicant breathes. If they observe the vapor...;Bingo-Bange...they get a license! Collisions will happen, unfortunately, but we need to really be aware of the “mirror vapor rocket scientists” who will test the endurance of our patience and ability to protect our own on the roadways.

I have no doubt that most of you do an excellent job of using your apparatus to appropriately block lanes of traffic (as necessary) to protect EMS, PD, patients, the accident scene, and certainly our own. You pull up, angle as necessary to protect the pump operator and the incident, and then turn your wheels away from the incident. Some roadway layouts will dictate that you turn off your headlights IF they will affect the sight of on-coming traffic. Oddly enough, research has shown that sometimes turning off strobe lights is an excellent idea as drivers who may have had one “soda pop” to many will drive RIGHT AT THE QUICK FLASHING LIGHTS. Normal rotator lights or LEDs do not seem to have this effect. Now we have to use a little common sense of our own for just a second. If there was one impaired driver on the road;doesn’t it make sense that there could be two or more? They are out there and I swear they are looking for us! Lastly;.you probably all utilize some form or fashion of tapering the traffic cones.

You may want to strongly consider dividing up your resources at the incident. Let’s just say placing the Big Buddies (engines and trucks), who are working on fire/rescue, on the fore side (in the direction of travel, typically) of the accident and the Little Buddies (EMS) and the far side of the incident. Obviously, this arrangement can only be done if the scene will allow it. By using this arrangement, you will find that you’ll have all your extrication equipment, hose, and etc. in one area and a “somewhat more clean and sterile environment” for the Little Buddies on the “far side”. If the scene is laid out nicely, the EMS gang won’t have to trip over a ton of equipment on their way to their bus while still being protected by the size/mass of the Big Buddies.

Obviously the most vulnerable position for the Little Buddies is when they are parked on the leading side of the incident and are NOT protected by the size and mass of the Big Buddies. Even worse is when the back doors of the Little Buddies are facing the oncoming traffic. If they are positioned as such and are loading a patient;.they are left wide open for Dr. Rocket Scientist to come bombing and weaving through the traffic and potentially smacking into the rear of the EMS apparatus. The outcome is generally not good with more injury being caused to the already injured patient;.and EMS/Fire personnel could potentially be left with crushed or amputated limbs.

Although this arrangement works out great;there are times that even the Big Buddies, when properly blocking and protecting are slammed into and moved by large apparatus. There is a really nice little video of a jack-knifing tractor trailer slamming into an engine company that just happens to be positioned appropriately for the accident they are assigned to. After you watch the video, you will notice that the fire apparatus moved, but not enough to allow the tractor trailer to invade the accident scene. You will find the video clip

here

(I originally found the clip on FirefighterCloseCalls.Com - Home of the Secret List).

Keep the Big Buddies on one side of the scene and the Little Buddies on the other, if the situation of the scene will allow for it. Two Big Buddies on the same “side” of the accident is even better. Remember, you’re protecting the incident area, the PD officers that are working the scene, the patients, the EMS crews, and of course your own butt. You never know when another rocket scientist will visit your incident and promptly fling a big shovel full of poo into the fan.

Bill Whitney is an Assistant Chief of the Milton Fire Department (Washington state), and is the President of Outreach Emergency Services Program; a non-profit organization that assists in the development of Fire/Rescue, EMS and Communications programs in developing countries throughout the world. http://oesp.net/default.aspx