How NOT to drive Code 3.

LonghornMedic

LonghornMedic

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I was going viewing some videos on Youtube and came across this one. I understand NYC is a busy and congested city, but this kind of driving is unreal. I wonder if this agency puts their medics through any kind of EVOC course. If they do, they need some remedial training in a bad way. Make sure to take a look at the scene at time 1:10.

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1rwzu5HGPQ[/YOUTUBE]
 
If its congested we find another way around. If its not feasible then we are just in the traffic with everyone else. If its bumper to bumper then even if we have a critical pt. we won't go lights and siren, we go with the flow of traffic.
 
Too be honest I've seen much worse. While there were a few intersections they were a bit wreckless with, otherwise it was a relatively safe response. In New York, ambulances are permitted to drive in opposing traffic at or below 20 mph. Was it slightly wreckless? Yes. But otherwise they did it right, they came to a near stop at intersections (minus 2 or three that I counted), they were using their sirens at ALL times (which outside the city is a rarity), and they weren't being jackasses in the passing. The only thing that was a bit off was the way they were driving in the right lanes at the beginning.
 
One of hte things I saw that annoyed me was them trying to l/s that van into traffic at the beginning. Everywhere I've worked, if you're stuck in traffic and can't move without forcing traffic into traffic, you shut your lights down and wait till there's a break you can get out in
 
hmmmm, at 1:10, a yellow cab cuts them off..... and that's their fault? everyone else stops, it's clear, and maybe the cabby blew a stop sign?

they didn't pass on the right, the use the fire lane when it was available, they didn't go the wrong way up a one way street, they didn't blow through every light, they kept their siren on in accordance to state laws, and they appeared to clear intersections before they crossed. and it's midtown Manhattan (42nd street by Port Authority Bus Terminal if I'm not mistaken) and it's extremely congested, and yellow cabbies are a huge danger to pedestrians and other drivers because they do stupid stuff and drive like retards.

in reality, I've seen FDNY suppression pieces drive more recklessly, and almost run over my feet and other pedestrians who were standing in the street waiting to cross the street.

St Vinnies typically only hires experienced EMTs and Paramedics, usually with 3-5 years experience before HR will even look at you. They do have a training center, and I'm sure they make sure their employees have EVOC. Why don't you Email St Vinnies EMS and find out?
 
spike91 said:
Too be honest I've seen much worse. While there were a few intersections they were a bit wreckless with, otherwise it was a relatively safe response. In New York, ambulances are permitted to drive in opposing traffic at or below 20 mph. Was it slightly wreckless? Yes. But otherwise they did it right, they came to a near stop at intersections (minus 2 or three that I counted), they were using their sirens at ALL times (which outside the city is a rarity), and they weren't being jackasses in the passing. The only thing that was a bit off was the way they were driving in the right lanes at the beginning.
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They blew through numerous red lights. There was no communication, i.e. "Trafffic" or "Clear right." That taxi cab was a glaring example of that. There were a couple of other scenes where vehicles were braking hard trying to avoid them because they didn't come to a stop at the red light.(You should be coming to a full stop at all red lights and stop signs. At a four way stop, if everyone is stopped and sees you, I'll slowly roll through.)

They came within a couple feet of pedestrians at high speed on a couple different occasions.

They pushed traffic into intersections at red lights. (Proper Code 3 driving indicates you at least shut your siren off, if not your lights too, until the light turns green when it's that congested)

They passed on the right.(That's a big no, no. Not sure what NY law is, but if you pass on the right and a vehicle decides to yield to the right and hit you, guess who is at fault?)

One of the things that I stress to anyone I precept is that Code 3 driving is without a doubt THE most dangerous thing we do. These guys in the video would never last a day in any system I have ever worked for. They an accident waiting to happen. They, and medics like them, are another reason the general public doesn't respect EMS in some areas. If you lived in an area where this kind of Code 3 driving was tolerated, what would your general impression of EMS workers be?
 
Yeah, thats just New York. It would have doubled their response time if they had stayed with traffic on that run.
 
DrParasite said:
hmmmm, at 1:10, a yellow cab cuts them off..... and that's their fault? everyone else stops, it's clear, and maybe the cabby blew a stop sign?
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The light was red for the ambulance, which meant the cab had the green. It appears that the cab was moving at regular speed. If the medics had come to a stop and slowly proceeded through, they would have never come that close to hitting the cab. So yes, it was their fault.
 
They did not properly clear every light - that's very very dangerous and uncalled for. My partners would throw me off the truck if I cleared intersections like that. They were far too aggressive in the congested areas at times (IMO), too. Not everyone hears or sees the ambulance coming, and one oblivious move by another car can prove to be bad PR for them.
 
Other than them blowing through red lights without stopping and almost getting whacked a couple of times because of it, I don't have much of a problem with it seeing as how in their city it's a different beast.


Much (not all) of the problems with l/s response can be attributed to idiot civilians not knowing how to react when they see l/s and therefor shouldn't have their license in the first place. Period.
 
Here is a better example of driving Code 3. I used to work for this agency and proper Code 3 driving is expected of its employees.


[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSjgAKm1210[/YOUTUBE]
 
Linuss said:
Other than them blowing through red lights without stopping and almost getting whacked a couple of times because of it, I don't have much of a problem with it seeing as how in their city it's a different beast.


Much (not all) of the problems with l/s response can be attributed to idiot civilians not knowing how to react when they see l/s and therefor shouldn't have their license in the first place. Period.
Click to expand...

Amen to that brother. Our DMV books here in MS need to expound on emergency traffic, cause apparently no one learns it getting their license OR from learning from their parents, siblings, elders, experience - whatever. Go RIGHT, not LEFT, not STOP. Or god forbid- TURN ON YOUR HAZARDS AND CONTINUE DRIVING.

I can't count how many times I come up to an intersection. It will be a two lane with a turn lane on each side. The two straight lanes and the right turning lane will be full, so I come up and ease my way into the left turn lane to go around. Traffic freaks how and now I am several cars deep in EVERY lane. Common sense should tell the traffic that since I am going to their left, they should not go that way.
 
Simple answer to the way people respond to l/s response.


Attach a video camera to all emergency vehicles looking forward. Have someone dedicated to watching said videos. If a person fails to react in a proper way, warn them first, then fine them a few hundred dollars or suspend their license for a short period.




If they don't learn after that, they don't need to be driving in the first place as they are obviously a hazard.
 
Linuss said:
Simple answer to the way people respond to l/s response.


Attach a video camera to all emergency vehicles looking forward. Have someone dedicated to watching said videos. If a person fails to react in a proper way, warn them first, then fine them a few hundred dollars or suspend their license for a short period.




If they don't learn after that, they don't need to be driving in the first place as they are obviously a hazard.
Click to expand...

In Las Vegas, a couple times a year, Las Vegas Metro would dedicate a bunch of their motor units to following us to calls all day. They wrote a lot of tickets for failure to yield. It was sweet redemption for all those other days when there were no cops around when you needed one.
 
rhan101277 said:
If its congested we find another way around. If its not feasible then we are just in the traffic with everyone else. If its bumper to bumper then even if we have a critical pt. we won't go lights and siren, we go with the flow of traffic.
Click to expand...

I have seen much worse as well, at least these guys slowed down at the red lights. I agree they could have been a little more careful, maybe tried to go with the flow of traffic instead of pushing people into the intersection, (the whole laminar vs. turbulent thing. Does that apply in NY?) All that being said, I am in no position to judge them since I have no experience running hot in the city. Out here we might do a 100 mile round trip run and pass 10 vehicles.


Oh yea, and do they not have opticom or preempt systems in big cities?
 
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lightsandsirens5 said:
I have seen much worse as well, at least these guys slowed down at the red lights. I agree they could have been a little more careful, maybe tried to go with the flow of traffic instead of pushing people into the intersection, (the whole laminar vs. turbulent thing. Does that apply in NY?) All that being said, I am in no position to judge them since I have no experience running hot in the city. Out here we might do a 100 mile round trip run and pass 10 vehicles.
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I love those kind of transports! Living in Denver did teach me I hate running code in cities :p
 
LonghornMedic said:
Here is a better example of driving Code 3. I used to work for this agency and proper Code 3 driving is expected of its employees.
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don't break your arm patting yourself on the back...

hmm, on your video I counted maybe 10 other cars on the road. I saw no pedestrians, few cabs, and very little traffic. Considering I have seen emergency vehicles in Vegas driving on the wrong side of the divided roadways when congestion causes travel to be impossible, I am going to say that your video is shot during ideal conditions, when there is no traffic on the road.

you can't compare midtown Manhattan during the daytime to a drive on the strip at 4am when there is no one else on the road.:rolleyes:
 
DrParasite said:
hmmmm, at 1:10, a yellow cab cuts them off..... and that's their fault? everyone else stops, it's clear, and maybe the cabby blew a stop sign?
Click to expand...
You mean besides the obviously red light that the ambulance has? Does New York have stop signs at intersections controlled by traffic lights?

in reality, I've seen FDNY suppression pieces drive more recklessly, and almost run over my feet and other pedestrians who were standing in the street waiting to cross the street.
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So? Hey, cops beat people all the time for no reason besides contempt of cop, does that mean I get to beat people too?
 
jjesusfreak01 said:
Yeah, thats just New York. It would have doubled their response time if they had stayed with traffic on that run.
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How long would it have lengthened the response time if they hit someone or something?
 
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