Quote:
Originally Posted by taylor192
Good catch. I skimmed the story cause it was too much drama for such a simple story.
In that case screw the cop, lights and sirens are required to pull dangerous/illegal moves.
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The Act does not require the emerg gear to be on but policy says it must, unless it will restrict your duties...eg coming up onto a situation where they would scare off or tip off the bad guys and let them escape. However if you go silent then you open yourself up to even more potential problems. In the case here
the way the OP described what happened I can't see why the lights were not used, but then I was not there to see the entire situation unfold, only the OP, who maybe has a subjective opinion of what happened.
Unless you have tried to direct traffic at crash/fire scenes before you have never seen how stupid drivers can be. Even when given clear directions they continue to disobey them and endanger the ERs at the scene. I worked with 2 Members who had been hit by stupid drivers at scenes, saw many close calls and was almost hit a couple of times myself. People fixate on the crash and not on the traffic directions. I'm sure the firefighters experience is not much different. After a while you get gun-shy and have very little tolerance for inattentive drivers. Maybe this is some of what may have been behind some of the responses by the ER's in this case?
Exemption for emergency vehicles
122 (1) Despite anything in this Part, but subject to subsections (2) and (4), a driver of an emergency vehicle may do the following:
(a) exceed the speed limit;
(b) proceed past a red traffic control signal or stop sign without stopping;
(c) disregard rules and traffic control devices governing direction of movement or turning in specified directions;
(d) stop or stand.
(2) The driver of an emergency vehicle must not exercise the privileges granted by subsection (1) except in accordance with the regulations.
(3) [Repealed 1997-30-2.]
(4) The driver of an emergency vehicle exercising a privilege granted by subsection (1) must drive with due regard for safety, having regard to all the circumstances of the case, including the following:
(a) the nature, condition and use of the highway;
(b) the amount of traffic that is on, or might reasonably be expected to be on, the highway;
(c) the nature of the use being made of the emergency vehicle at the time.