Ambulances

Restless

New Member
Thank you for the information on what we should do when we hear and see you coming. One thing that I have experienced only one time was when a police car was racing to an emergency and there was a lot of traffic. You could hear the siren, but you could also feel these like vibrations or pulses as well. That really got my attention. It would definitely be effective if someone is blaring their music and might not hear the siren, but would feel that pulse. It was pretty cool.
 

molly_21

Member
Sometimes it's better if I don't move and let them go around me.

I saw this the other day on 235. The person was making the left from St. Andrews Church Road onto 235 North. The ambulance was coming from 235. The person stopped RIGHT IN FRONT of the ambulance thinking the ambulance would go around him. The driver of the ambulance started waving his hands around and the driver of the other vehicle finally got a clue and realized it was safer if he kept on driving and then moved over to let the ambulance go by.
 

MMM_donuts

New Member
Thank you for the information on what we should do when we hear and see you coming. One thing that I have experienced only one time was when a police car was racing to an emergency and there was a lot of traffic. You could hear the siren, but you could also feel these like vibrations or pulses as well. That really got my attention. It would definitely be effective if someone is blaring their music and might not hear the siren, but would feel that pulse. It was pretty cool.

We often try to come up with ideas for how to revolutionize the system. Some of the technology out there is pretty awesome but, like everything else, it costs a lot of money or is too difficult to implement. There have been some pretty neat changes just in the few years that I've been with the rescue squad but the call volume has also increased a bunch, too. I feel like our leadership is pretty open to ideas for improving how we do things. Mostly it comes down to having someone that will actually volunteer their time to help out. Time is sometimes more valuable than money.
 

PeoplesElbow

Well-Known Member
Something like a big light up <--Move Over --> sign on the front that tells people which way to move over, but then it would be another thing for the driver to worry about.
 

cheezgrits

Thought pirate
Good info, always good to have a perspective from inside the EV. However, you figure out a way to get the majority of drivers here out of the left hand lane on 235, let me know.
 
Something like a big light up <--Move Over --> sign on the front that tells people which way to move over, but then it would be another thing for the driver to worry about.

This wouldn't necessarily fix the problem because it wouldn't always be clear which vehicles the sign was "talking to" and would add to the confusion.
 
Good info, always good to have a perspective from inside the EV. However, you figure out a way to get the majority of drivers here out of the left hand lane on 235, let me know.

It makes zero sense to expect drivers to not be in the left hand lane on certain parts of 235 because there a a majority of cars making left turns out of main traffic so the left hand lane is where it's safest to be for those vehicles.
 

MMM_donuts

New Member
The driver is in charge of a lot more than just driving. The ambulances where I'm at have little Garmin navigation units in them but we also have map books that are a lot more detailed. There are plenty of places that are still hard to figure out, though. If you see an ambulance that looks lost or you know your place isn't clearly marked, then we probably need some guidance.

The driver is in direct radio contact with the 911 center. When we're on the way to an emergency, we get a short brief of what's going on so we can know in advance what to take inside with us (oxygen, backboard, etc).

The driver has to figure out where to park the ambulance so we can:
-get the patient in and out easily
-we can exit quickly if we need to
-we don't block the entrance for firefighters, law enforcement, paramedic trucks
-avoid any hazards or unsafe situations

They help radio 911 so we can get additional help from the fire dept or a helicopter.

Again, they have to try to drive smoothly enough that we aren't stabbing people with IV's in the back.

Then there's the emotional component. It takes a lot of experience to avoid flooring it when there's a baby coming RIGHT NOW or someone's heart just stopped beating but they have to drive a safe, manageable speed.

And we go on a lot of calls that get answered by other departments or are cancelled right after everyone moves out of the way for us. We always feel a little bad about that but we absolutely cannot drive with lights and sirens on unless we are on the way to an emergency or are a high priority trip to the hospital so we have to just turn off our lights and turn around. Trust me, people around town are watching and we tattle on each other. We have to shut our lights and sirens off when crossing the Thomas Johnson Bridge so we don't freak anyone out. I was once upfront in the ambulance when we shut the sirens off but not the lights in the middle of the night when we didn't even see anyone else on the bridge but we were counseled about it by 8am the next morning because someone knew. I don't know how but they knew.

Also, certain calls are required to be cleared by law enforcement before we can show up so you may see us go lights and sirens into a parking lot, shut down, then turn everything back on and get going again. Weird but there's a method to that madness.

When I'm upfront with the driver then I am doing my best to help out as much as possible but I'm also prepping to hit the ground running as soon as we show up on scene.
 

RPMDAD

Well-Known Member
Triple M_donuts, thank you for all the hard work you do. Salute to you and all the other Volunteers.
 

MMM_donuts

New Member
We can always use more volunteers and I know the other rescue squads are in the same boat.

The state pays for your EMT and/or driver training. There other ways to help out if you're not interested in either of those.

This is a GREAT way to build experience for school if you're interested in the health professions. We'll take people as young as 16.

We do all our stuff through the website so if you want to give it a shot then that's where you start. Google. I think the other squads are the same way.

I am not from this area and didn't feel a connection with this community until I started at the rescue squad. This has been an excellent way to meet local people that can tell you all about this place and it's been fun to meet up with people that run the local establishments.
 
As someone who is an EMT and a driver of Ambulances, I'll offer my perspective. Our units are equipped with two 200w sirens, not to mention the air horns. When I am running a call down 235, I will have both of them activated. I will use the turn signals on the Ambulance, but I also realize they can get lost in the "Christmas Tree" of lights we have flashing on the units. I also echo MMM_Donuts sentiments, all of the stations in St. Mary's can use help.
 

Bann

Doris Day meets Lady Gaga
PREMO Member
What irks me is when the emergency vehicle passes and you begin to merge back onto the road, you always have that dip#### behind you that tries to pass you as you are waiting to merge back into traffic.

:yeahthat:

I will pull over to the left side or right side- whichever is closest and safest for me to do. Invariably, there are jerks behind you who will not let you back in. Aholes.
 

Bann

Doris Day meets Lady Gaga
PREMO Member
Yes, that ahole irritates us, too. Sometimes people use the ambulance to cut a path through traffic. We can report them if they're being unsafe.

:cartwheel

Next time I see those jerks, I will be :lmao: knowing they just might get reported. :yay:
 

MMM_donuts

New Member
Why not put a device on the EV that, while in emergency mode, will notify radios/GPS in other vehicles of their location or at least the bearing of the EV.

That's a pretty good idea. There are devices coming that (I think) will gps the route to the stoplights so that they sync up and reduce the traffic. This will replace the opticons that transmit to each individual light and we sometimes have to wait on.
 

Hannibal

Active Member
I have a somewhat related question concerning ambulances and moving over. While travelling south on Rt. 5 directly infront of Thomas Stone HS, I noticed an ambulance coming up from behind. I was heading toward the left hand turn lane while travelling in the left hand lane. In the right hand lane, there were other cars who were starting to make their way to the shoulder. Where I was, there was no shoulder so I sped up to get to the turn lane (which did have room to get out of the lane). In doing so, I noticed the lovely bulb flash of the speed camera go off and sure enough, I was tagged.

I remember griping to my wife about how I was going to get a speeding ticket because I moved over to get out of the way. She questoined whether or not I would actually get it as she believed people would review the tickets for such issues (like having to creep over the line in an intersection to allow a cop/ambulance by and setting off the redlight camera). Well, I never got the ticket and thought nothing more or it.

Fast forward a year or so and I get a notice to renew registration but ultimately determine I cannot due to an MVA flag and unpaid speed camera ticket. It was for the above incident. I dont believe I ever received the ticket but can't swear to this (I do have three kids and what can be a messy counter top on certain days so it could've been lost). I went to the treasurer's office to make my case and explain what had happend and they said that without any evidence, I was liable.

So, how does one present evidence? In the future, should I not speed up to find the most reasonable/safe place to move over? Should I simply stay in my lane and "block" next time? Not trying to be a smart-ass about it, but what I did was the most sensible thing to do and I was penalized for it. What's the right call?
 

MMM_donuts

New Member
I have a somewhat related question concerning ambulances and moving over. While travelling south on Rt. 5 directly infront of Thomas Stone HS, I noticed an ambulance coming up from behind. I was heading toward the left hand turn lane while travelling in the left hand lane. In the right hand lane, there were other cars who were starting to make their way to the shoulder. Where I was, there was no shoulder so I sped up to get to the turn lane (which did have room to get out of the lane). In doing so, I noticed the lovely bulb flash of the speed camera go off and sure enough, I was tagged. I remember griping to my wife about how I was going to get a speeding ticket because I moved over to get out of the way. She questoined whether or not I would actually get it as she believed people would review the tickets for such issues (like having to creep over the line in an intersection to allow a cop/ambulance by and setting off the redlight camera). Well, I never got the ticket and thought nothing more or it. Fast forward a year or so and I get a notice to renew registration but ultimately determine I cannot due to an MVA flag and unpaid speed camera ticket. It was for the above incident. I dont believe I ever received the ticket but can't swear to this (I do have three kids and what can be a messy counter top on certain days so it could've been lost). I went to the treasurer's office to make my case and explain what had happend and they said that without any evidence, I was liable. So, how does one present evidence? In the future, should I not speed up to find the most reasonable/safe place to move over? Should I simply stay in my lane and "block" next time? Not trying to be a smart-ass about it, but what I did was the most sensible thing to do and I was penalized for it. What's the right call?

I'm only able to answer about half of this. If you don't have the immediate ability to move over, we can see that too and we understand. We don't want you to do anything that would put yourself or others in any danger - that extra few seconds isn't going to terribly affect what we're doing. These are judgment calls though and we know people are just trying to get out of our way as quickly as possible. You have an unfortunate location/time situation going on.

As far as proving that, I'm not sure. There are much better people on this forum that would be able to answer that for you. I was under the impression that those flashes were reviewed situationally as well. Our times and locations are definitely recorded though so there's a record of an ambulance traveling in that area at that time. My advice would be to maybe call one of the local rescue squads. Each squad in that county (Charles?) will have access to those records and should be able to help you out. Idk if the courts take that sort of thing but you could even find out who was driving the ambulance.

Good luck, man.
 

Hannibal

Active Member
Thanks for the feedback. At this point, it's moot. I paid the fine/flag as my registration was set to expire and I was heading out of town on a trip. It just burned me a little paying it off knowing fully well why I got the ticket in the first place. It would also undoubtidly require me to go before a judge to contest the ticket which would take up more time/expense. I was just curious about "the rules."
 
My gut impression would be that if an emergency vehicle is supposed to obey traffic rules (speed, signals within reason, etc...) then I doubt it would be OK to proceed thru a red or something else that would normally get you a ticket, even if you're trying to get out of the way. That said, I know I've pushed thru a red on left turn when an EV was right behind me, and I'm sure others have too. We just didn't get tagged, but probably would have been had there been an officer there, or in Hannibal's case, the ever aware camera.
 
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