not moving over fast enough for fire engine on 999 call

[martymoose]

Hi,
Is it possible for the fire brigade to forward on vidoe evidence to police if the feel you have not moved over fast enough?
Im asking on behalf of someone, who is worried they didnt move over fast enough? They say they were on a road where they would have to have came to near stand still to half pull onto the curb to allow the engine past. There were cars coming ojn other side also so it couldn't get through the middle of the 2 lanes. Therefore it would slowed down completely. They kept going at decend speed until they could pull into neares street/estate.

Now there really worried they have done wrong and should have just slowed down and indicated and allowed the engine past at its descretion. Long story short I think the longer its went on the more they've panicked and worried how long its been behind them, and gone all to pot.

Basically is there any chance if they feel they were playing silly ******* with them and not actually worrying about what to do next can they be in trouble?

Any advice greatly appreciated!
Thank you.

[NORMANTHEDOG]

tell them not to worry,you must only move over for emergency vehicles,when it is safe,so your friend did it exactly how it should have been done,sometimes it happens like that,the firebrigade know its not easy sometimes to make way,and there will be no comeback at all.

[redcrx]

as norman says they did the right thing if it was unsafe to pull over. I had a fire engine hound me to get out of way once and i pulled off the road and almost had an accident. I told my fella who is a firefighter though not in that area and he said if its unsafe to pull over then do so when you can. Also he advised me to accelerate if safe and to get to a safe spot then pull over, the fire engine cannot accelerate as fast and you wont be in its way. Obviously this is dependant on what road you are on.
If the stories Ive heard from his experiences on fire engine are anything to go by there are some truly awful drivers out there who do deserve to at least be cautioned for their actions but not your friend.

[martymoose]

Thanks for the speedy replies!!

Basically the longer they were behind the more panicky they got, and paranoid , but to pull over would meant coming to near stand still and meaning the engine would have had to accelarare from 0 again. They actually did put there foot down and just pulled into the nearest housing estate, I cant imagine it was held up too much though as it was all over about 1 -2 miles max at about 50 mph and they couldnt really do much more than that to start with.
I will pass on the comments. Thakns.

Has anyone ever heard of any incidents where they have passwe on evidence or reported drivers?

[billh35]

A number of emergency service vehicles are now being fitted with video systems which switch on when the blues & twos are activated - these systems are there to protect all concerned in the event of an accident so if you feel you have been hounded you can just as easily ask to see the video to prove you were bullied! It's a two way thing!

Many emergency service drivers think they own the road when they are using blues & twos and they cause people to panic. They also use equipment at times needlessly! Just ask anyone who lives in the countryside - they fly round the place on empty roads with sirens wailing in the dead of night when there is no need!

[Panic Button]

I believe the people they get most annoyedwith are the ones who slow or stop without leaving room for them to get through.

[markja]

the correct proceedure is, pull over or make room when it is SAFE to do so. do not stop in a position that is dangerous and do not pull out of the way at a junction if doing so is dangerous.
do not panic or get all stressed when you hear the siren but stay calm, consider what would be the safest course of action to facilitate the emegengy vehicles progress.
also look at their indicators !! they will tell you where they want to turn.
i had a mate who pulled out at a set of lights , had a prang 'cos it wasn't safe and managed to block the turning the fire engine wanted to turn into!!! what a plum!

[martymoose]

So basically because she panicked and maybe held it up fopr a bit doesnt mean anything will come of it. She actually put her foot down initially to allow room for the engine to travel as fast as it liked but it caught her up further on up the road and thats when she panicked. I will tell her not to worry. Thkns again for the advise. Im guessing if anything was to happen it would have been pretty immediate action any way?