Traffic signal preemption device

To the LPVRS Utility driver this morning at 11:30AM: Did you really feel it was necessary to activate your signal preemption device when turning from Buck Hewitt Road onto 235 south (yeah, I saw it flashing on your lightbar)? You were running with no lights/siren and definitely didn't seem in a hurry. Turning from 235 onto Buck Hewitt or doing a U-turn is bad enough, but for whatever reaso, you felt the need to have traffic sit through 2 more light cycles.
 

TurboK9

New Member
To the LPVRS Utility driver this morning at 11:30AM: Did you really feel it was necessary to activate your signal preemption device when turning from Buck Hewitt Road onto 235 south (yeah, I saw it flashing on your lightbar)? You were running with no lights/siren and definitely didn't seem in a hurry. Turning from 235 onto Buck Hewitt or doing a U-turn is bad enough, but for whatever reaso, you felt the need to have traffic sit through 2 more light cycles.

That's OK. A few weeks back Command 3 bulled in front of my wife who was turning left from 235 onto 4 north. No lights or sirens there either. I've seen Utility 3 left running outside the FastStop, etc as well. Though I appreciate the service of some, jeebus, people. Get a clue, the rest of you, before you wreck or 'loose' a vehicle.
 

CobbWeb

New Member
Call the Station

To the LPVRS Utility driver this morning at 11:30AM: Did you really feel it was necessary to activate your signal preemption device when turning from Buck Hewitt Road onto 235 south (yeah, I saw it flashing on your lightbar)? You were running with no lights/siren and definitely didn't seem in a hurry. Turning from 235 onto Buck Hewitt or doing a U-turn is bad enough, but for whatever reaso, you felt the need to have traffic sit through 2 more light cycles.

Call the station and make a complaint, maybe they will dock them some pay!!! Or better yet go join and help them out, you could teach them all the right things to do!
 

TurboK9

New Member
Call the station and make a complaint, maybe they will dock them some pay!!! Or better yet go join and help them out, you could teach them all the right things to do!

:blahblah: Funny you say that> I myself tried joining, lasted as long as my patience for perverts and immature shennanigans. Tried phoning in "Hey, might want to let the Utility 3 driver know not to leave the truck untended and running outside the store..." and a week later it was sitting out there again.

Welcome to "good 'ole boy".... different sets of rules and standards depending on your last name 'round here.
 

CobbWeb

New Member
By the way

Call the station and make a complaint, maybe they will dock them some pay!!! Or better yet go join and help them out, you could teach them all the right things to do!

So far today LPVRS has answered 12 calls for service and I believe they had 5 or 6 ambulances on the road at once due to a flood of calls. If the driver did use the opticom to get through the light so what they probably needed to get back to work. It still amazes me the number of crews they can get together during the daytime, most other companies can barely manage one. By the way if you didn't detect the sarcasm in previous post, ALL EMS in St. Mary's County is VOLUNTEER!!! You may or may not know this, but there are a lot of people who are shocked when we tell them we are volunteers.
 

TurboK9

New Member
So far today LPVRS has answered 12 calls for service and I believe they had 5 or 6 ambulances on the road at once due to a flood of calls. If the driver did use the opticom to get through the light so what they probably needed to get back to work. It still amazes me the number of crews they can get together during the daytime, most other companies can barely manage one. By the way if you didn't detect the sarcasm in previous post, ALL EMS in St. Mary's County is VOLUNTEER!!! You may or may not know this, but there are a lot of people who are shocked when we tell them we are volunteers.

:yay:


Definite points to EMS.... I know they are a heck of a lot busier than fire, regardless of county.... I know some of the guys (gals too) seem to run constantly. :yay:

My b*tch is with the fire side, should have made the distinction and stayed out, sorry!
 

G1G4

Find em Hot, Leave em Wet
Or, call 911 (or the non-emergency, prefrerably) and tell the dispatcher that Utility 39 had their pre-emption device on. They may have forgotten to turn it off. Not hard, really. :shrug:
 

MMDad

Lem Putt
So far today LPVRS has answered 12 calls for service and I believe they had 5 or 6 ambulances on the road at once due to a flood of calls. If the driver did use the opticom to get through the light so what they probably needed to get back to work. It still amazes me the number of crews they can get together during the daytime, most other companies can barely manage one. By the way if you didn't detect the sarcasm in previous post, ALL EMS in St. Mary's County is VOLUNTEER!!! You may or may not know this, but there are a lot of people who are shocked when we tell them we are volunteers.

Well, that just forgives everything doesn't it. Using the Opticom to get back to work is NOT justified by them being volunteers.

Why do you hide behind being volunteer? That attitude gives a bad name to all of the great volunteers who not only protect us, but also follow the rules and do it right. Being a volunteer is not an excuse for being a jackass.
 

tomtom

New Member
Or, call 911 (or the non-emergency, prefrerably) and tell the dispatcher that Utility 39 had their pre-emption device on. They may have forgotten to turn it off. Not hard, really. :shrug:

:yeahthat: It's a little switch on the control board, and it has a computer and a light over top of it, so the power switch for the opticom is out of sight, it would be very easy to forget to turn it off. I have no idea who was driving that truck yesterday, so I am not making excuses for them, but why come here and complain to people who have nothing to do with it, when as G1G4 said, you could have easily picked up the phone, called our dispatchers in Leonardtown, and told them that Utility 39 has their opticom on, they would have told them to check their opticom. :patriot:
 

StadEMS3

Well-Known Member
PREMO Member
Opticom's should be wired to only come on when the emergency lights are activated. I know ours are. Leaves the door open for abuse if they are wired direct.
 

mdff21

Active Member
The devices are supposed to be hooked up to the emergency lights and only on when they are on. Also they are supposed to be tied into the transmission or parking brake so that when the vehicle is placed in park or the parking brake is applied the power to it is interrupted and shuts it down.
 
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