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Ambulance gets ticketed while responding Code3


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I don't know the situation in the US but in my country, volunteers are obliged to follow the traffic rules. This means they have to stop at a red light and have to respect the speed limits, even when using emergency lighting. So strictly speaking, the officer has every right to give them a ticket. Of course, he should have shown his human side by just giving them a warning since they were en route to a medical emergency. Especially since he himself did not observe the traffic violation as heard in the video.

"Dura lex, sed lex"

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I don't know the situation in the US but in my country, volunteers are obliged to follow the traffic rules. This means they have to stop at a red light and have to respect the speed limits, even when using emergency lighting. So strictly speaking, the officer has every right to give them a ticket. Of course, he should have shown his human side by just giving them a warning since they were en route to a medical emergency. Especially since he himself did not observe the traffic violation as heard in the video.

 

I totally agree.

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That looks more like an EMS supervisor, not an ambulance. That ambulance agency has a (quite likely unjustified) reputation, I think, for giving everyone supervisor status so they can get lights and sirens and use them for private ends. Even if they are responding to an emergency, every emergency driver has to operate with due care for safety of others. Lights and sirens aren't an excuse to barrel through a work zone and risk lives of road workers.

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I don't know the situation in the US but in my country, volunteers are obliged to follow the traffic rules. This means they have to stop at a red light and have to respect the speed limits, even when using emergency lighting. So strictly speaking, the officer has every right to give them a ticket. Of course, he should have shown his human side by just giving them a warning since they were en route to a medical emergency. Especially since he himself did not observe the traffic violation as heard in the video.

 

Well here in 'Murica cops and emergency services speed through lights and stop-signs if its a true emergency (Officer needs backup, Shots fired, Officer down etc.)especially if its in code 3.

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That wasn't what he was talking about. He's talking about volunteers. In plenty of places in the US, volunteers may only violate traffic laws in official agency vehicles - they can't do POV responses with emergency equipment (e.g. in New York, a volunteer may use blue courtesy lights to request the right-of-way, but you don't have to yield to someone using courtesy lights, and it's illegal for them to break traffic laws while using them). Other places, vollies get to put emergency equipment on POVs. Sometimes, supervisors and chiefs can put equipment on their POV when most vollies can't. The idea is that a firefighter or EMT volunteer would only take their POV to the station, because they can't really help if they respond to the scene with just their car - they should take the fire truck or ambulance. OTOH, a supervisor *would* be responding to the scene in a POV, because their role doesn't require all the equipment on the truck.

Police are NEVER under those sorts of rules - they aren't volunteers in the same sense. Oh, sure, there are auxiliary/reserve officers, but they work shifts. Volunteer FFs and EMTs often just go about their business until they get an emergency call, at which point they respond. Outside of EXTREME circumstances, reserve officers off-duty aren't going to be called upon to respond to an emergency.

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The volunteers had been first-responding to a medical emergency in a properly certified emergency first-response vehicle with state-approved red and blue lights and sirens and fully-equipped with a full EMS kit, defibrillator, oxygen, suction unit, etc.

 

Even if it is a volunteer, the description says they were in a certified emergency vehicle with red and blue lights, not a POV. It probably was a supervisor vehicle, though, by the way it looks.

 

Edit: Also, in NY, you can get a blue light as a volunteer firefighter, it's supposed to be a green light for volunteer EMT. Not that anybody uses the green light.

Edited by willpv23

"Work and ideas get stolen, then you keep moving on doing your thing."

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That wasn't what he was talking about. He's talking about volunteers. In plenty of places in the US, volunteers may only violate traffic laws in official agency vehicles - they can't do POV responses with emergency equipment (e.g. in New York, a volunteer may use blue courtesy lights to request the right-of-way, but you don't have to yield to someone using courtesy lights, and it's illegal for them to break traffic laws while using them). Other places, vollies get to put emergency equipment on POVs. Sometimes, supervisors and chiefs can put equipment on their POV when most vollies can't. The idea is that a firefighter or EMT volunteer would only take their POV to the station, because they can't really help if they respond to the scene with just their car - they should take the fire truck or ambulance. OTOH, a supervisor *would* be responding to the scene in a POV, because their role doesn't require all the equipment on the truck.

Police are NEVER under those sorts of rules - they aren't volunteers in the same sense. Oh, sure, there are auxiliary/reserve officers, but they work shifts. Volunteer FFs and EMTs often just go about their business until they get an emergency call, at which point they respond. Outside of EXTREME circumstances, reserve officers off-duty aren't going to be called upon to respond to an emergency.

 

I was indeed referring to volunteers. Thank you for clearing that up. Unfortunately, many volunteers in my country abuse their emergency lighting equipment in order to neglect speed limits when not on an emergency call. It remains a sensitive issue to allow volunteers to break traffic rules without any form of training. I'm currently two months in academy training and I can safely say that emergency driving is far more demanding than I expected.

"Dura lex, sed lex"

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I think most US departments make volunteers complete EVOC before they'll *consider* giving permission to use lights and sirens, even on actual ambulances and fire trucks. It's the same idea - emergency operation puts you, your passengers, any patients you transport, and the general public in danger. That's why it's only allowed in emergencies, and why they want you trained in how to do it safely before you can do it.

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I didnt want to comment this BUT i have a personal interest with the way Hatzolah is... Heres the problem, They are a JEWISH EMS SERVICE provider... whats that mean... THEY will only treat JEWISH people. Now, I have been a vol firefighter for 15 years. I was a member in Long Island, and now in Pa, and They are the most unprofessional ambulance service there is! Every member has red lights and a siren and dont care about public safety at all... I have seen them get face to face with not only Nassau County Police but the Fire Chiefs working the scene... It never ends good for them, i have even seen them kicked out of ambulances... And I mean with a Foot Kicked out! I refuse to pull over for them, and I will continue to do so no matter what is said!

 

People have to remember that if an Police Officer feels you are careless or reckless driving, you can be citied. Even if in a Emergency Vehicle. As many people in the Emergency field knows if you read the laws, you MUST stop or slow down and proceed with caution! So since Hatzolah thinks they are above everyone they do not follow any laws! Me personally, I think they should be gone! But since it has to do with there religion its ok! Which is BS... Sorry for this Rant but i hate them! They give us REAL vollies a bad name!  

 

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