When You Hear A Siren - Make the Right Move!
During the month of April, we are again emphasizing Operation Right Move.
Sponsored by the Los Angeles Fire Department and California Office of Traffic Safety, Operation Right Move seeks to educate motorists about the importance of yielding to ambulances, fire trucks and police cars when they are responding to emergencies.
Nationwide, nearly 16,000 collisions occur each year because a growing number of drivers fail to Pull To The Right when emergency vehicles approach using their lights and sirens.
Learn how you can make The Right Move!
Submitted by Brian Humphrey, Spokesman
Los Angeles Fire Department
23 comments:
Welcome to the blogger front page :)
Good idea for a page.
A PR blog? Good idea. I'm stealing it.
Great!
I always pull to the right. ;)
I was shocked that up here in Toronto -- people are so selfish and don't slow down and pull over. In fact, I've seen people try to outrun misc. fire units. That's crazy. Hopefully people will smarten up around here!
** Shaun **
My awesome blog: ohpunk.blogspot.com
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I live in New York City, and a friend and I discussed this very topic earlier today. We were talking to each other on our cell phones. We couldn't hear because there were sirens on both ends of the line -- SoHo and East Village. She started screaming, "WHY doesn't anyone f*&king get out of the way anymore?!?!" Maybe it's just that the congestion and traffic are really bad?
At any rate, we tried to come up with solutions for the problem. She thought the city should reserve/build special lanes on some NYC streets exclusively for emergency vehicles. I said that we should only use helicopters and bypass traffic all together.
Just out of curiosity, are you aware if either of these options ever been considered and/or instituted by any municipality?
Some people need to turn their car stereos down. Not only would it help them hear the sirens to make the right move, it would slow the down the hearing loss a bit.
Great idea for a page.
You firemen are great.
That's very important!
Great idea for the site. As an ex-firefighter..please please pull to the right! Respect and thank all firefighter's everywhere! Thanks guys for all you do!
I think this is a great pub ed mention....it is amazing to me the number of people who will simply STOP in the middle of the lane they are in, or worse, GO LEFT instead of right or LEFT and THEN STOP, right in front of the ambulance or fire truck I was occupying...Two years ago, I was in an "accident" after having cleared a four way intersection (by making certain all vehicles were stopped during a Code 3 response)...well~ all of the vehicles at their respective lights WERE stopped, but someone behind one of those who had stopped decided the guy in front of him was an idiot for not proceeding on a green light, and oblivious to all the other stopped vehicles as well, proceeded to accelerate around the yielded car in front of him and run straight into the passenger's side of my ambulance, causing intrusion that came to within two feet of my right thigh!
Be careful out there folks: Fire service, law enforcement, and civilians alike!
But if we are to "pull to the right" why is the little cartoon guy in the poster pulling to his left?
William:
Though the graphic artist tells us the Antenna Ball (we should conjure up a nickname?), is loathe to show us his backside, you are correct: It is *his* left that he is yielding to... possibly directly into the path of... yipes!
On a more serious note, we're glad that you and others are paying close attention.
We're also pleased to say that no Antenna Balls were harmed in the making of the PSA!
With warmest regards,
Brian Humphrey
Firefighter/Specialist
Public Service Officer
Los Angeles Fire Department
HEy~
I just wanted to say thank you for all you do. My father is the fire chief in my home town, granted we are a small town (about 1600 people) they have to use the interstate a lot and it drives me up a wall when people don't pull over. I have since moved to Fargo, ND (just a little bigger ;-) ) and I didn't think it was possible, but people are WORSE here!!! People need to appricate what you guys do for us...
Thanks for all you do, you are all heros in my heart!!!
~Amelia K.~
thats a great blog right there
My husband is the SO for his dept and understands completely this important message. We also have been talking about this recently on how to solve this problem. One run a few months back, the ambulance was involved in a head on collision with someone because he pulled to the wrong side of the road. Thanks for all you do and hope to see you at FDIC.
Hello from New Zealand. Yeah, it happens over here too. I can't believe that people don't pull over to let emergency services past. It amazes me that people can be totally oblivious to the sirens and flashing lights. We pull over to the left on this side of the equator... I have such respect for everyone doing the work you do (police, St Johns (NZ) ambulance service, and fire service). You guys all deserve a medal for putting up with the crap you do every day. Kia kaha.
I live in Texas now and have lived in Oregon too. The Texans are worse at getting out the way. I witnessed a near wreck in downtown one day a couple of months ago because a car or two couldn't figure out that they needed to get out of the way of the big loud red fire truck with the bright flashing lights.
Anyway, great blog and I think more govermental organizations should blog. It would help keep government transparent.
As a resident of LA, I think it's about time a few LAPD Traffic Division officers are assigned to a different fire station each day and trail the apparatus and start ticketing the people that do not obey the law.
The LAFD has an excellent response time, and people who are ignorant or too shortsighted to get out of the way of the big red trucks with sirens and flashing lights only delay first-response help when it is needed most. The LAST thing you want when you call 911 is for the ambulance to get into an accident trying to get to you! Or if you are being transported to an emergency room?
THINK, PEOPLE!
I'll never understand the brain dead drivers that simply stop instead of getting out of the way. Or stopping on a divided highway when the emergency vehicle is on the other side of the road.
long time resident of LA, i have seen the worst of drivers that don't yield to emergency vehicles. people even get mad at you for pulling in front of them while trying to go as far right as possible... i think emergency vehicles should be equipped with cameras designed to take snap shots of veh and license plates of drivers failing to yield, and a REALLY hefty outrageous fine. its a long shot but theres an idea.
I agree wholeheartedly, and will redouble my efforts to get WELL out of the way of emergency vehicles.
By the way ... GREAT job on the Griffith Park fire. Thank you SO MUCH for all you do for us, LAFD! You guys and gals are TRUE HEROES.
William
North Hollywood, CA
Last month while on vacation and in no hurry to get anywhere fast,I was cited for failure to yield(Firetruck), and I swear I didnt hear the siren.I had my windows rolled up tight(cold morning) and my stereo turned up a just little loud (Jimi Hendrix-Voodoo Chile),not blasting but a little loud.I realized it was behind me because it was honking its horn when it was 6 car lengths behind me.Upon hearing this I immediately pulled over to the side of the road and stopped.Prior to being aware of the Fire Truck I was focused on two Police Officers out of their cars and looking into a property with what looked like their hands on their guns 2/10ths of a mile up the road.I had my 12 year old son with me and frankly I was concerned for our safety.One of those Police Officers stopped me. I told him I didnt hear the Siren and who in their right mind would chose to not to yield sooner for an emergency vehicle in front of two Police Officers?He said he could hear it a mile away and I believe him.But I was in my car(Small Truck) windows rolled up tight and Jimi.I too am a First Responder,I have been a member of the Fire Brigade/Emergency Response Team for 12 years at my place of work.I am current in CPR and have been for years.I am also trained in Confined Space Entry & Rescue.I have Trained with Fire Fighters at the County Regional Fire Training Center on 6 separate occations.Belive me when I tell you, Not Yielding is not my style!The bottom line sometimes sirens are difficult to hear,windows rolled up,music a little loud,maybe even a windy day blowing the sound waves away from you.I believe in many cases people arent willfully ignoring the sirens, but possibly unaware.Try it next time you see an emergency vehicle coming your way,roll up your windows tight and turn up your radio a little,you too might have trouble hearing the siren
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