Tips for Driving an Emergency Vehicle

Driving an emergency vehicle in emergency mode is a very dangerous task. Every year there are many accidents involving emergency vehicles - some which result in death. Safety, as the operator of an emergency vehicle, is your primary concern as you, yourself, don't want to turn your travels into another emergency situation in itself.

Check your local statutes and laws to validate what is considered an emergency vehicle. In some states personal vehicles owned by volunteers are deemed emergency vehicles while traveling with lights and/or sirens engaged. However, in other states, even when a volunteers car is marked with emergency lights, they are not deemed emergency vehicles. Rather, the emergency lights on these vehicles are considered a "courtesy light" meaning they must obey any and all traffic laws.

As the driver of an emergency vehicle you have a few tools at your disposal. The main two - lights and sirens. Lights, which generally are unchangeable in pattern, give the visual effect to society that you're currently engaged in emergency mode. Keep in mind that lights convey many different messages. For example, different colors mean hold different values in the state of New York - only police officers, fire apparatus, and ambulances can truly have red emergency lights equipped, whereas volunteers generally utilize blue lights to mark their vehicles when responding to an emergency (keep in mind these are "courtesy lights"). Also, keeping emergency lights engaged when parked at the scene of an emergency is essential for keeping your crew and yourself safe. You want to ensure that drivers passing by see that there is an emergency going on. In theory drivers are supposed to slow down as well when driving through an area deemed an emergency area to keep emergency personnel safe.

The other tool at your disposal is the almighty siren. Sirens should be used strategically when driving in emergency modes. Generally there are multiple sirens to choose from, and there are dire differences on how to use these. The difference between the array of sirens is the frequencies. Different frequencies should be used for different situations. The usual setup is that there are three different sirens, all varying in frequencies. The first one will have a very elongated sound, which makes it's sound wave reach further destinations. This siren should be used when there's no one in the immediate area that you're trying to get out of the way. Rather, this siren should also be used warning other drivers that there is an emergency vehicle engaged in emergency mode in the area. For this siren it's primarily about larger range. The second is a medium siren with mediocre size in wave lengths. This is an inbetween siren that should be used when getting close to civilian vehicles when driving to grasp their attention. The last siren is generally a high frequency siren that sounds very active. This siren should be used for driving through intersections where you have a red light and/or stop sign, or where you're stuck in heavy traffic.

Aside from these tools, it is stated that drivers of emergency vehicles must drive with "Due Regard", even if law mandates that civilian vehicles must halt for emergency vehicles. This ideology is to keep everyone safe and minimize accidents and casualties. What Due Regard essentially means is that the driver of an emergency vehicle must drive with care and diligence when operating an emergency vehicle engaged in emergency mode. This includes: Stop and checking intersections at a red light/stop sign before proceeding, not excessively breaking the speed limit, and not passing stopped school buses when their red lights are flashing and stop sign is out unless you're waved on by the bus driver.

The saying "See the lights, pull to the right" refers to drivers when they visually perceive an emergency vehicle, they're supposed to pull to the right. That means, in contrast, as an emergency driver you're meant to go to the left of civilian vehicles - don't pass on the right unless you necessarily have to.

One experiences many drivers eventually face is driving on the opposite side of the road. When engaging in this behavior it's extremely important to drive safely and diligently. Lights should definitely be activated (as they always should when engaged in emergency mode) and sirens should be audible. During this it's also advised not to drive over the speed limit, as cars coming from the opposing direction are now in the same lane, giving them less ample time to react.

Utilizing these tools and tricks are essential in keeping you, your crew, your patient, and civilian drivers and pedestrians safe. In an ever changing would where technology rules the fore front, drivers are constantly twiddling their new devices at the wheel, illegally talking on the phone, playing with the radio, and/or engaging in array of other activities while driving. Essentially the lack of focus towards the road by these drivers make the road increasingly dangerous - especially for emergency vehicles as they tend to go through red lights and stop signs to expedite their travels to get to an emergency situation. As the driver of an emergency vehicles always keep visually scanning the road for potential hazards and/or negligent drivers and strategically use your sirens to help ensure that drivers effectively notice your presence.