Should apparatus operators adjust their response speed depending on nature of the incident to which they are responding?
Final Results:
YES: 40
YES
NO: 9
“As an Engineer I can tell you first hand ‘Driving as though your wife and kids are at every intersection you cross’ will give you a better respect for how you respond to alarms. I have been driving trucks since the age of 18. I have a great deal of respect for speed and stopping distance. I would recomend that drivers make as much noise as possible on alarms, this may annoy some but could wake up the drivers woh are not paying attention.”
Signed,
patmc…
“Yes. It would be both safe and prudent to adjust response speed dependent on the nature of the emergency. It’s interesting to note that NFPA 1710 & 1720 don’t allow for a common sense approach to response times.”
Signed,
cmyers…
“Yes. We need to respond in a safe but timely fashion…which is usually as fast as possible. We do not need to put ourselves, other firefighters and civilians in needless harms way if we know the nature of the call can safely warrant a reduced, non emergency speed.”
Signed,
FireSueEng3…
“Yes, within reasonable speed. A lot of factors play in the mix: time of day, nature of the call, weather, and type of road. Keep in mind reasonable–you will be no help if you get into an accident. I always say there are too many things a driver of an emergency vehicle has to look for: intersections and other apparatus for example.”
Signed,
Boonjohn…
“Absolutely yes. There is no reason why we need to have apparatus responding at emergency speed and endangering the crew and the public for routine calls
such as debris on the highway, assists to the public, and alarm investigations. In the event that the police, EMS, or fire department’s senior officer arrive on location and determine that there is a need, they
can order the apparatus to step up their response to emergency speed.”
Signed,
mark…
“Yes, I think it better to let the experienced driver and officer make the decision as to what the best response speed is. There is too much second guessing on what they do. But they are the only ones who really know what is happening.”
Signed,
christopher…
“Yes, driver operators should adjust their speed according to response. But regardless of the type of call, the key to safe apparatus operation is to avoid excessive speed, and stay smooth.”
Signed,
imorey
“Yes. Speed limits should be challenged only when the risk vs. benefit assessment show a possible advantage to speeding. Never exceed posted speed limits or safe driving speeds for anything less than a life threatening emergency.”
Signed,
Ltbjce51a
“Yes, many incidents are of a non-emergency nature. Utilizing a “Code 3″ type response to all alarms poses great risk to fire service members and the general public.”
Signed,
HuhnR…
“Yes. Think about it: responding to reported victims trapped should be much different than a rubbish fire.”
Signed,
MED5690…
“Yes they should!”
Signed,
bohnihugh…
“Yes: Little gain, risk little; A lot to gain, risk more.”
Signed,
don
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NO
No. If you are rolling out the doors to a call, all you have to go on is what the dispatcher interpreted the call to mean. Countless times have I gone on a supposed false alarm to find smoke and or fire in the structure, or to a
chest pains call and come to find the person in full arrest once there. My motto is if you called us you’re getting us and you’re getting us as fast as we can safely get there.”
Signed,
LILED2555…
“No. They should use common sense!”
Signed,
gcfire1
“No. All emergencies should be treated the same. Maybe if you redefine emergency you would not run into this problem.”
Signed,
Hcfdsafety919…
“Absoulty no, but does it happen yes, and am I guilty of it yes, but it doesn’t make it right. I have been an engineer for the last 2 years and it is hard not to get in a hurry when responding to a reported working fire. But no matter what the alarm, everyone should slow down and pay attention whether it is a fire with children trapped or an automatic fire alarm that you just cleared. The main thing is getting there safely.”
Signed,
engine10…
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