You are in your assigned first response vehicle.
If you usually drive an ambulance, you are in one.
If you're in an engine, you are in one.
In a police vehicle, you get the picture.
This applies to your situation.
You have been dispatched to a multiple motor vehicle accident with report of victims trapped blocking all lanes of traffic 2 miles away.
You are responding lights and sirens, emergency traffic.
This is what you encounter:
Do you force the turn lane through the red light?
Do you "hop" the curb to the left an oppose traffic?
Do you shut down and wait?
You make the call.
Include in your post what type of vehicle you are in.
If you usually drive an ambulance, you are in one.
If you're in an engine, you are in one.
In a police vehicle, you get the picture.
This applies to your situation.
You have been dispatched to a multiple motor vehicle accident with report of victims trapped blocking all lanes of traffic 2 miles away.
You are responding lights and sirens, emergency traffic.
This is what you encounter:
Do you force the turn lane through the red light?Do you "hop" the curb to the left an oppose traffic?
Do you shut down and wait?
You make the call.
Include in your post what type of vehicle you are in.
Comments
Difficult to see what traffic is like after the lights from here, but wait for lights to turn green, hope other traffic and you can get through. If not, carefully cross over the central reservation whilst the lights are in your favour, and get back into your lane as soon as you can
I would leave on audio and visual warning devices, pull up behind the shortest line of traffic and let them either pull forward or the two lines of traffic part for you to drive between.
In either an Ambulance or an RRV
Typically, my officer will have the siren. Although if he is busy then I take care of it (we both have fed. Q and air horn foot pedals).
Therefore, it is kind of up to whether he lets up on the siren or not. I usually don't run up real quick on stopped traffic and make sure that we are plenty loud coming down the street.
So we either lay off on the siren and nose up to traffic until the light changes or we keep on the noise but keep our distance and see if they make a gap.
I should also note that we have opticom systems at most of our lights so this isn't an "every call" occurrence.
As for jumping the curb. I have only done that once intentionally. and will not do it again unless I have to. I have no problem crossing the double yellow if I have enough visual on LACK of oncoming traffic.
My engineer usually see this coming and goes opposing traffic in a safe,expeditious manner.
If we fail to do that we will continue to provide audible warning, though not too obnoxiously and wait for the traffic to make a hole, then proceed through the intersection and go opposing if necessary, all according to dept. policy.
Depends, we don't have drive cams (yay!) and "3rd laning (lane-Ing) it" whereby you cross into oncoming traffic if none is present is common. However, if there is a median I usually don't do that (unless there's a tour-bus into a day care or a confirmed structure fire with victims trapped)
I have a mortal fear of pushing traffic into intersections against the light. So I almost always recognize those situations and shut down and wait. I've never caused an accident at an intersection by pushing traffic through, but I know people who have. I couldn't stomach the guilt if I got someone hurt.
At one of my jobs, we have opticoms (traffic light preemptors) on all of our lights and trucks. They make things a lot safer, quicker, and easier.
I was wondering why people sometimes refer to you as meat in the seat. I can't figure it out.
See Further: http://proems.blogspot.com/2009/07/why-does-being-paramedic-seem-so.html
P.s this post has just reminded me of something that will make a great and hopefully funny post, coming soon!!
I'm on a f'n motorcycle, brother. I split the lanes and beat all of you there by about three minutes.
;P
Difficult question, mainly because it depends on a number of factors, most of which would be "local knowledge".
For this particular, with a median and no other safe route, I'd shut off the noise and, if possible, forward facing lights leaving rearward lights on. I'd stop a way back from the trafic, giving me plenty of space to manouever when the lights go green, then light 'em all up as soon as they do go green.