Recent travels home from work have revealed what I consider abuse of resources by emergency service vehicles.
Within the last 7 days, I have had 2 emergency vehicles – one a 4WD Police Truck, and one a Fire Truck – using their lights and sirens to clear peak hour traffic only to turn them off once past traffic and continue on as normal. The Police truck was traveling southbound on Athlon Drive last Friday, using lights and siren to clear the right hand lane (he even mounted the median strip to get through an intersection). Once he was clear of the traffic he turned off the signals and carried on his merry way at normal speed, even stopped at the next intersection. Exactly the same happened with a Fire truck on Yamba Drive tonight – using siren and lights to move heavy traffic out of the way before killing the lights and stopping at the next intersection.
This kind of behaviour is dangerous as people are actively moving out of the way of these vehicles, and could cause an accident if someone wasn’t paying enough attention. Frankly emergency services need to be patient an wait in traffic like the rest of us unless they are genuinely attending an emergency.
Has anyone else had similar experiences to this around Canberra?
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What’s Your opinion?
Fed up with emergency service vehicles behaving like morons
Oldest to Newest
Henry82 said :
I work in hospitality so I can safely assure you that nobody has ever done anything naughty ever.
Of course nobody ever got sacked for drinking cocktails on duty. They just put on an innocent face and claim it was training.
BimboGeek said :
Nobody has ever done anything against company policy right?
OPs idea is possible… unlikely, but possible. He should follow Johnno222’s advice, then get on with his day.
Not everyone is an arrogant tool trying to get ahead of the traffic.
Apparently OP takes such behaviour, real or imagined, as a personal insult. I’m guessing he’s around 17 or has a very controlling mother.
It’s been made clear that emergency services staff can be sacked on the spot for using lights and sirens without permission (or in a perceived emergency where they can expect to receive permission).
If they are sitting at a set of traffic lights they have nowhere to go so it doesn’t matter how long they sit there. If they suddenly go to sirens and lights they have received a callout. If they then turn off those sirens and lights the callout has been downgraded, possibly while the person is still explaining the nature of the emergency to the 000 person.
Things happen that you don’t understand. They have been explained to you. You have two options: live and learn or look like an idiot. Sticking to your guns won’t make you win the argument, it will just make you look like you can’t be educated.
This applies more to those of you chiming in after the fact. OP seems to have got the idea and piped down.
gazket said :
Where there’s smoko, there’s fireo?
As one of these supposed abusers of power, if we go past you with the lights and sirens on and then turn them off after getting through the lights it is because a unit has arrived on scene and we are either not required or the situation is in hand and we may still be required but not in hurry. So instead of causing problems we then proceed at road speed, following the road rules so yes stopping at the next set of lights etc. driving under lights and sirens is a heavy burden because if something goes wrong we wear the responsibility, however if you believe that the vehicle has no reason for using lights and sirens the ring the responsible agency with the details of when and where they can soon tell you if they were responding to a job or not, it’s a sackable offence to drive with lights and siren on without reason.
gazket said :
Responding to a smoke sighting back at the station?
IP
KeenGolfer said :
To quote myself “and you call in and get permission for what you are already doing”. Which is in effect what the police are required to do. It’s not like they are calling in and saying “We’re in a pursuit and we’re not going to take any notice if you tell us to stop”.
IP
i actually have seen this a few times and have been kind of in disbelief. there are times when people don’t respect the rules and move to the side of the road for emergency vehicles (which is obviously terrible), but when they do this, it just astounds me. it’s for emergencies and i can’t figure out why they do it.
i have seen people have to drive off the road onto footpaths and nature strips to get out of the way only to have the vehicle return to normal traffic after that.
bizarre and i think it’s a misuse of the system…big time. also makes it less likely that people will respect the rules when it’s needed (boy who cried wolf anyone??)
magiccar9 = elaborate troll?
gazket said :
So this video will be of you listening to the sirens? I am quivering with anticipation…
gazket said :
You mean you hear sirens? In an urban area? At irregular intervals? Yes you should totally definately get a video of a fire engine with it’s lights and sirens on. Because, weeee!
The issue is that you’ve accused firefighters of misusing their privelage of urgent duty driving to go on “smoko”. You’ve provided no evidence to back up this smear. Nor can you.
Stevian said :
Most things just fly straight over you, dont they?
Comic_and_Gamer_Nerd said :
Only to you in your fantasy world
ScienceRules said :
I will take a video next time Bozo. I work on sites all around Canberra and I hear the sirens. It happens same time every day for a few days in a row, then there’s a lul then back again same time a few days later.
why would I report it ?
ScienceRules said :
+1
carpediem said :
pshhh what would you know!!!
THESE PEOPLE LIKE OP AND GAZKET HAVE SEEN THE POLICE AND FIRE TRUCKS ABUSE THEIR POWERS TO GET STUCK IN TRAFFIC QUICKER AND GET SOME FOOD(why the hell do they get lunch breaks on our tax dollars anyways???? who the heck do they think they are?!!!), THEY MAY NOT HAVE EVIDENCE BUT WHEN YOU REALLY THINK ABOUT IT MAKES PERFECT SENSE!
gazket said :
Well if you did see that, you’d be able to report it and the driver (and Station Officer) in the vehicle would be disciplined under the Emergencies Act, or Road Traffic Act or even just ACTFB policy. But since you didn’t see it and you just made it up, I guess you wont.
Ozi said :
Not as embarrassing as passing cars under lights, only to have them pass you again up the next hill (while still responding). NSW RFS tankers don’t go that fast. 🙁
Aeek said :
+1 for unlimited frustration.
I’m not sure how it is in the ACT but in some other states if the lights + siren are activated its logged and needs an official reason to accompany it. Lights only, I’m not sure if its logged.