Firemen with blue lights on vehicles

[Punisher]

Originally Posted by MarcS

And what is your experience? Or did you mean to say "in my uninformed opinion"?



Young wannabes? All i see around my volunteer firehouse are trained firefighters and EMT's. There's nothing wannabe about it, they are real-life firefighters. Perhaps your shitty attitude spawns from you at one point wanting to be one as but not having what it takes? Don't beat yourself up, not everyone can do the job.



They're in a rush to get to the firehouse so they can get into the real firetrucks and put out real fires.



lets see, i've been a volunteer EMT since i was 17. All i can ever remember doing on the scene of an accident or fire was attending to my patients. It wouldn't hurt if someone was actually thoughtful enough to bring me a coffee on scene, but it doesn't seem to ever happen.



No, you don't appreciate emergency personnel. If you call fire/ems anywhere outside of a major city in Pennsylvania, you are more than likely going to get volunteers. These volunteers have to do the same training as the paid guys and do it on their own time out of their own pocket. I just got back from Maine where i did 40 hours of continuing education that i don't even need for recertification out of my own pocket. My firehouse like many other volunteer departments doesn't even collect tax money from the community. We survive completely on ambulance billing and donations. If you want to "appreciate emergency personnel," put your money where your mouth is and write a check. Your all volunteer department in lititz could probably use the money.

let's just say, i may know/do more than you think to help out emergency personnel. second, i know MANY volunteer firefighters who are young kids who admit that they do it for lack of anything better to do and that it's better than listening to a scanner - that to me is no reason to drive like a crazy person and endanger lives (these same people are certified emts who drink underage and drive after doing so and many other crazy, illegal acts) in my opinion, you're either on the right side of the law or not - they are likely to cause the very same accidents they are supposed to be helping to fix. i know that there are many highly trained volunteer firemen and emts and i DO appreciate what they do......... so, don't form uneducated opinions as you accuse me of doing.

[MarcS]

Originally Posted by dwhite725

let's just say, i may know/do more than you think to help out emergency personnel. second, i know MANY volunteer firefighters who are young kids who admit that they do it for lack of anything better to do and that it's better than listening to a scanner - that to me is no reason to drive like a crazy person and endanger lives (these same people are certified emts who drink underage and drive after doing so and many other crazy, illegal acts) in my opinion, you're either on the right side of the law or not - they are likely to cause the very same accidents they are supposed to be helping to fix. i know that there are many highly trained volunteer firemen and emts and i DO appreciate what they do......... so, don't form uneducated opinions as you accuse me of doing.

SO, instead of being vague about your background and telling me a bunch of hearsay, buck up and tell me what you know that i don't. I work with these people. Some of them join for the wrong reasons and they generally don't last long.

[ithinkimamedic]

I second that marc. Generally they dont last... they get... reasigned... and end up getting recycled to the next training class and eventully figure out that they need to get the hell out of dodge. That or we treat them like the little shitbags they are!

[JustinM]

Originally Posted by dwhite725

let's just say, i may know/do more than you think to help out emergency personnel.

I saw a monkey fly out of a man's butt once. Then the aliens came down for tea with the leprechauns.

[Punisher]

Originally Posted by jmateer

I saw a monkey fly out of a man's butt once. Then the aliens came down for tea with the leprechauns.

^^ counseling - you need counseling (and possibly medication) as for the rest of you guys.............. lol - just calm down there and don't get your panties all in a bunch - i'm sure you guys fall into the category of the volunteers i appreciate, but at least you see my point about the irresponsible little kids that like to "play" fireman.

[NoHackrLtd]

A fellow countian once remarked: "I don't have to pull over for a blue lighter".

I replied: "Technically, you don't. And I damn well hope it's your house they're trying to get to....and can't because some damned idiot held up the rescuer..."

[XD45]

that would be a great case of karma to not pull over for a bluelight, and then right around the time your pulling into your driveway you realize thats where he was headed

[Frenchy]

Personally I do pull over, but I make sure I can in a secure manner. If I cant pull over because of road conditions, I put on my flashers and either stop if there is a place for him to pass, or move with the flow.

Mind you there are times those blue lights get abused. I had that experience the other day. I was in no particular hurry, and at a intersection I meet up with a pickup Blue lights flashing, horns blaring and high low lights… Man I figured he was driving 30mph turning on Freedom road from 989 in the Cranberry area. I said to my self, he must really be in a hurry to get some place, this is right near where a young girl got hit by some one 2 nights before… Now the thing that got me, was not that he cut me off on that turn, but that I met up with the very same truck at the Cranberry post office! Parked where? In the handicapped area, of course there was a handicap plate on the truck.

So I went about my business shipping a pen, no one looked handicapped to me there, Mind you, I would know some one could be handicapped and not look it, I could myself have a handicapped plate because of medical conditions. I am just too proud to have one. Then again, I’m no fireman!

Coming out of the post office, what do I see, the very same truck ripping out of there like a bat out of hell, lights going on, other cars coming to a stop, never got to see the driver, figured, maybe the emergency got canceled and put on again, I work in an alarm central I know that can happen.
I get to my destination Lowes on Rt 228, what do I Fn See!!! That damned truck again! This time the tail gate down, ready to put supplies in… Like I said im in no big hurry that day, so I stuck around a few minutes, and sure enough the local men in blue come around after a quick call to them.
I identified the truck, and told them what I had seen that day, they took down the plate, and drive away So I went about my business…

On my way out, what do I see only a short block away from Lowes? That dern truck again, this time, there where red and blue lights on. Cops pulled them over, and from what I could see, man talking with the cop, did not seem handicapped at all, as a matter of fact, he looked dressed to go play baseball or softball…

[MarcS]

you did the right thing. guys like that ruin it for everyone. There's a good chance he was suspended from his department, lost his light privileges and got a sizable ticket.

[ithinkimamedic]

I hope he got a big square kick in the balls too! With some steeled toed bunker boots!