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Fire Department
Headquarters Station - 816 E. Haley St. Midland, MI 48640 Phone:989-837-3410 Email:
ccoughli@midland-mi.org
Fire Prevention and Safety Tips
Motorists: Moving to the Right and Stopping for Emergency Vehicles
There is one simple thing everyone can do to
help firefighters and other emergency personnel provide assistance as
quickly as possible - move to the right for sirens and lights.
Every year in the U.S., there are almost 16,000 collisions involving
fire department emergency vehicles responding to or returning from
incidents. These collisions result in over 1,000 firefighter injuries
and almost fifty deaths.
Many people panic or simply don’t adhere to the rules of the road
when approaching emergency vehicles. The law is very specific:
drivers must yield the right-of-way to an emergency vehicle, and failure
to do so can cause serious accidents or delays in ambulances, fire
engines and fire trucks arriving at the scene of an emergency.
Firefighters are careful to avoid vehicle collisions by driving
slowly when traveling against traffic or coming to a complete stop at
intersections. However, the cooperation of ALL vehicles on the road is
essential.
What To Do/What Not To Do
Here are simple rules to follow when you encounter an
emergency vehicle while driving down the road:
DO:
Stay calm.
Pull to the right and come to a complete stop.
If you’re traveling on a high-speed road or if there is no
room to stop, slow down as much as possible.
If you are in the left lane, safely pull over into the right lane as
traffic in the lane to your right moves over.
If you cannot move to the right because of another vehicle or
obstacle, just stop. Your action will let the driver of the
emergency vehicle know what you are doing and help him/her anticipate where to drive.
When an emergency vehicle approaches you from behind while you
are stopped at an intersection, stay where you are unless you can
pull safely to the right.
On a four-lane highway or street without barriers, both sides
of traffic should pull to the right.
Be careful when driving by or around a motor vehicle accident
or any situation where emergency vehicles are parked and the
firefighters are working.
If driving a car, stay at least 500 feet behind emergency
vehicles.
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DON’T:
Don’t panic.
Don’t play your radio so loudly you are unable to hear
sirens.
Don’t stop in the middle lane when there is room to pull to
the right.
Don’t pull to the left in the center lane or left turn lane.
Don’t race ahead to make the green light or turn before the
emergency vehicle gets there.
Don’t turn quickly to the left onto a street or into a driveway.
Don’t drive through a red light or stop sign when an emergency
vehicle approaches from behind.
If the emergency vehicle is traveling on the opposite
direction of a divided highway or street, you do not need to pull
over.
Don’t disregard the presence of the emergency vehicle by
continuing to drive.
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