OK Fire Chief Asks Drivers for Cooperation at Emergency Scenes

Tahlequah Fire Chief Casey Baker said first responders are concerned about behavior they're seeing among the public these days during emergency situations.

On Oct. 1, the Tahlequah Fire Department responded to a structure fire in the Oakwood Addition on Remington Place. The Daily Press was on the scene and noticed firefighter David Craig wasn’t able to get his truck to the blaze due to several parked and unoccupied vehicles blocking the road.

“Theoretically, we would try to find the owner, but if it’s life-threatening, I would direct them to push the vehicle out of the way,” Baker said. “It really depends on the scenario. When [Craig] responded from Station 2, and realistically for more manpower, we already had an engine and a ladder truck there, so we technically didn’t need his truck up there.”

Baker said the situation required Station 2’s truck, he would have given Craig the go-ahead to push the vehicle out of the way.

“We’ll push the car out of the way probably with the firetruck, or with my truck, or we’d get a chain and move it—whatever necessary steps we have to take to get it out of the way and to get to the emergency,” Baker said. “Naturally, if it’s a small grass fire where no structures are in danger or no one’s life is in danger, we’ll see if we can find the owner and get them to move it.”

Emergency personnel such as police, firefighters, and EMTs go through training to determine where to position vehicles.

“That’s one of the first things law enforcement does,” Baker said. “They’re the first ones on scene because they’re already out and about in their vehicles. They’re going to respond first and they will typically take care of that situation before we get there.”

Baker said he’s had to push a vehicle out of the way, and the owners in these situations are understanding—for the most part.

A bigger problem TFD and TPD face occurs when drivers don’t pull over for emergency vehicles.

“I don’t know if they just don’t teach this in Driver’s Ed anymore, but if you hear sirens and see lights, pull to the right,” Baker said. “We have to pass on the left, and that’s one of the main things we are seeing. They’re either stop completely or pull to the left, which causes us to pass way off to the left.”

Another issue emergency personnel deal with concerns drivers who are putting their lives at risk by "rubber-necking" when they come upon vehicle crashes.

“It happens a lot. They’re looking at the wreck and not paying attention to who’s in front of them,” Baker said. “They’ve almost hit some of the firefighters directing traffic, they’ve almost hit the vehicle in front of them, and that’s the reason we usually run an engine in those high-impact places like [Bertha Parker] Bypass.”

Baker said the engine, or the big firetruck, is there to keep traffic away from those working crash sites.

Baker said he understands it’s human nature to migrate toward a fire or an accident. However, he stresses that the public needs to take into account that professional help is on the way, and they need to get to the scene in a safe and timely fashion.

“Just understand we’re out there doing a job, and we’re tying to not interrupt as much of your normalcy as possible,” Baker said. “Just be aware when one of us out there directing traffic, because there’s been accident. We’re trying to get it cleared as quickly as possible. Be patient with us.”

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