robert gift

You are entitled to your opinion.

Personally I think it is wrong, dangerous, and just plain stupid to go chasing tornados about, and a lot of my American friends agree.

However the next time you go spouting off about what is legal or not legal in certain European countries (as you have been doing on youtube over the past 6 months, and making yourself look pretty dim in the process) at least have the decency to get the geographical location right. Hint - the ambulance wasn't in England.

You are quite correct about chasing tornadoes!

I chase tornadoes because the voices in my head tell me to!

(I have never met a red-blooded American who would not like to do it. Even my Chinese wife likes it.)

But in chasing tornadoes I am not needlessly

-endangering others by speeding,

-barging through red signals taking right of way from deserving others,

-inconveniencing drivers to move onto shoulders or up curbs where their tires can be damaged, (Imagine that truck getting a flat tire from a nail for nothing!)

-disrupting traffic flow,

-possibly causing minor collisions between others' vehicles,

-annoying citizens with noise forced into their homes and businesses, etc.

When I was learning to fly, I stayed over open farmland.

(When chasing, for the safest and best views, I stay southwest of tornadoes.)

Would be interesting to knowhat other English citizens think if they knew about these moronic joy rides.

So that particular ambulance was not in England?

What does it matter?

The principle remains the same.

It is needless, hazardous, "malpractice".

Still not 100% what he is getting at, but I know in the UK, ambulances routinely practice simulated emergencies as part of their driver training. This involves runs with lights and sirens with no patient. Their driver training involves a little more than what is taught in CEVO, and a comercial vehicle license is mandatory.

Perfectly legal, and much safer than having your first EVER emergency run with a patient in the back (something I have always found a little dangerous). Not to mention the real-time feedback given by instructor sitting beside you. Police and Fire do it to.

The OP here, and on you tube, is displaying yet another example of showing the inability to see further than their own borders.

Taking your logic a little further, do you think it is right that military aircraft are allowed to practice simulated / fake operations in the skies above (some of) our homes?

Military aircraft should NOT practice above populated areas.

Likewise EV's should not practice in public.

What do borders matter?

It is wrong here and wrong there.

You can easily rehearse, figure out, practice what to do through normal driving.

My English friends resent these "Joy Rides", as would I.

You're supposed to turn of lights and Sirens on all Bridges and Tunnels, there is no shoulder for the cars to pull onto and you will probably create more difficulty and danger than necessary for everyone.

BUT, on one occasion traffic was much slower and I would not have minded drivers in lane 1 changing lanes into lane 2.

I never want anyone to pull over and stop. Just move over into another lane and keep going.

Felt bad when a semi in lane 2 of I-25 pulled onto the shoulder and stopped.

On the long gradual upgrade, it would take him a long time for him to get up to speed, expending a lot of fuel and making pollution.

I don't buy it.

I want proof. More than just "My English friends said."

Where is the evidence? News Articles, something come on.

This is an ambulance practice run:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEP0Gvulc-E

Dude, what the firicken hell are you on about? What your source? Or is this some BS you heard on the grapevine?

Firefighters will practice driving with lights and sirens by doing it on public streets.

They are NOT en route to any fire or emergency.

Just joy rides in public.

My English friends had no idea this is being done.

They always assumed a fire truck with its lights and siren operating is on the way to a fire or emergency.

Ruffems, I like your concept about purchasing offsets for noise pollution.

The city of Denver, whose City and County Building tower bells I play, should be required to make such purchases.

(My bell playing is not nearly so bad as it sounds.)

Yeah, now I remember. CheekyEMT, as per my in house lookup.

Here is a link to the 4 pages string on her injury:

http://www.emtcity.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.ph...9efb5cf22f931bb

Thanks for the link, Richard.

It does not work.

Is there another way to read the story?

Thank you,

Robert

Even my English friends are appalled.

They never suspected - how would they know?

They had no idea that a fire truck, ambulances, too?, may be speeding down a street with lights and sirens operating, taking right of way from drivers and pedestrians, going through red traffic signals, passing in opposing lanes, imposing noise pollution, on FAKE emergent runs.

Do any other countries allow such moronic nonsense?

Interesting that Florida states either shoulder.

What does California say?

Because of nails and debris, I am always concerned about traveling on a shoulder.

Hate to cause others to go onto the shoulder, but the EV certainly can't afford to have a flat.

So on crowded, slowed interstates or highways I often find straddling lanes one and two allows best progress

and on clean surface.

When exiting an interstate, I have sometimes shut down all lights as I signal right and change lanes to the off-ramp.

At that time I am below the speed limit, so lights are not required, and I am not causing vehicles ahead to slow and pull over onto the off-ramp.

(On I-70, the Eisenhower Tunnel administration wants EVs to turn off emergency lights in the tunnel!)

Pass any vehicle on the right and I will make sure you will not be spending any time behind the wheel of my truck for a while.

Many do.

On Interstates and multiple-lane divided highways, is it best to travel in lane :2: , or straddle the line between lanes |1 :2: ?

Lanes are numbered from inside (center or median) out. |1 :2:3:4|

In the US, the law requests that vehicles move right.

So I try to travel in |1 :

But frequently, |1 : vehicles will move left onto the median shoulder.

This is understandable because those drivers can easily see how far over they can go and it is easier than changing lanes right, possibly into other vehicles.

(Changing lanes, especially to the right, is the most feared driving maneuver. Parallel parking is the second most feared maneuver.)

The EV benefits by not travelling on possible shoulder debris to pass |1 : vehicles which are trying to move right.

|1 : vehicles on the shoulder force me to move right.

:2: vehicles will usually move right towards :3:

So rather than |1 : vehicles changing an entire lane to :2:, they move towards the median and:2: vehicles move right.

This opens a path for the EV much more quickly since no one needs to find an opening to change into the other lane.

Any thoughts?

Thank you.

Is (was) the radio tower too close and would be better located further away?

Any news as to why the tail hit the tower?

Thanks.

NO patient on board.

If you cannot see that the pavement is clear and cannot see potholes or debris, you are driving too fast.

Tire manufacturers rated tires at 106 mph, sustained speeds.

Rarely can one travel that fast for any length of time.

Vehicles are well engineered and can handle such speeds on smooth straight road surfaces.

One should NOT be looking at the speedometer to make sure one is not going more than 10 mph over the posted speed limit.

One should be paying attention to the road.

When you are driving 10 to 15 miles in the middle of nowhere, these speeds are not uncommon.

Yes, in such circumstances, we travel slower just in case something like that ever happens.

Aurora, CO Fire Department engine hit a vehicle which ran a red signal. Engine had green signal. Entire family was killed: driver, wife and two children(?).

I believe it was found that the driver was drunk.

We think of such worst case scenarios and drive accordingly.

Eh, 100% stupid, but not out of this world unbelievable. When crews have miles of 4 -5 lane highways (with 2 emergency lanes) with zero traffic at 3AM on a Sunday night and a brick wall barrier preventing random cars from suddenly merging in,(unless you have patient in the back or something)

There may be deer or elk. Plus 100 mph is far out-running the headlights.

Bright daytime with excellent visibility.

Getting to a patient. No patient on board.

Only 25 mph over the posted speed limit.

In Montana, there were no speed limits!

Still unacceptable. If for nothing else, your truck is not built for that speed. Before all the equipment was put in and reinforcements taken out, it still would have a hard time sustaining that speed safely.

Freakin' cowboys

Common practice in Colorado, Wyoming, Montana.

Most vehicles are engineered for that speed. And tires ARE rated over that speed.

But you do want to be gentle on the rig, engine, drive-train and suspension. So none of this on rough roads.

Huh...? :shock:

In what state is it legal and expected to run over cyclists?

I want to move there! :twisted:

I can assure you sir, that you would never, repeat never obtain 100+ mph with me in the back. It doesn't matter what the road conditions, traffic volume etc is, I'd call the cops myself from the back of the ambulance if I noticed this.

That is just ludicrous. I can not think of one situation that would require such speeds. Other than the wacker factor of course.

When it is clear and dry, no problem -unless a tire failure.

Never travel this fast with a patient and personnel in the back.

Drive smoothly and gently.

Sometimes I get this almost overpowering urge to drift over and crush the arseholes on motorcycles that ride the divider line between lanes to get through traffic.

...

Why should they be impeded by slow traffic or backups if they can proceed?

Our Service Has a govener on it and it does not allows us to go over 80 miles an hour. Try being on the interstate and being past by everyone. Our policy is you respond emergent to every. I doesn't make cense to run emergent if everyone is passing you.

Why keep lights on and needlessly disturb the peace if people are passing you and no one is in your way?

Totally uneeded and ridiculous. To the public you look like clowns.

I was driving a firetruck which could not attain the 55 mph Interstate speed limit.

I turned off all the lights. Then after I signalled and exited onto the off-ramp, turned everything back on which would be need at the upcoming intersection.

Did not lengthen our response time even one second, and did not impede traffic flow.

Do you feel there should be a cap on ambulance speed limits running emergent?

There are places with no traffic, great visibility, clean, dry, smooth pavement.

We have attained over 100 mph at such places.

In such conditions it would be ridiculous to restrict speed to 10 mph over the posted speed limit.

(At those speeds I worry about tire failure, but they are well below the speed ratings.)

Likewise, we slow to a safe speed which conditions permit.

In icy conditions I have driven only 5 mph -any faster and I could lose control.

Also, in fog, 5 mph with all e-lights off, low beams only.

Any faster and I would not be able to stop in time if someone/something suddenly appeared in front.

With patient on board, we drive much more slowly and gently.

Auto/train collision:

Camera was aimed through the open front passenger door.

In my jumpsuit, on my knees in the front bench seat, I was strapping the driver sitting behind his wheel to a half-backboard.

While reaching around the pt, the jumpsuit got pulled kinda tight... (form-fitting!)

Everyone commented that the news crew captured my "best side"

and that I should have had my name printed on my the seat of my jumpsuit.

My gay friends who saw the TV coverage quipped that I "... had the best butt in da bidness."

My girlfriend, Debbie, an OTR, who has a great sense of humor, told those friends that she would pimp me out.

FF/Worst Responder

Was the young woman wearing seat-belts?

If not, I assign much of the blame to her.

You don't needlessly place yourself in a condition where you make yourself vulnerable to others' mistakes.

I never took anyone's word and checked for myself, especially when the patient is so young and likely more resilient. Any question, I'd load and go and let the hospital decide.

Chief should have been more careful wth what he said.

Media will try to find something sensational in whatever you say.

I appreciate outspokenness and spontaneity but have learned to shut the f up.

Then speak with care and consideration.

Funny avatar, 007!

Aurora police used to do that alot.

I always felt guilty when they followed us and stopped motorists.

Hopefully just warnings.

But when I drove, no one was ever stopped.

To make the lights/EV more noticeable I would often positioned the EV to the left in lane 1, sometimes with my wheels on the lane line. (always depending on debris)

Drivers would often detect the EV earlier and because of my being so left, it would influence them to move right. If some started to clear to the left, I would go more left and they would see and move right. (usually)

Depending on geographic area, due to obstructions, both stationary and other vehicles, an EV driver might not be able to see cross traffic until too late to stop.

As per my mantras, below, balance the need for the speed with a ride that's a glide!

But we have wide open intersections where you can easily see no one is approaching.

I like most when all lanes are occupied with stopped vehicles blocking anyone behind, but am always expecting a motorcyclist or bicyclist moving between vehicles.

Also, I've had wide open intersections where I had to stop and creep because of vehicles, especially busses, trucks and semis obsuring view. But even a low sports car can be hidden by just regular automobiles.

A "double" city bus in lane 3 saw the EV and stopped. In his rearview mirror the driver could see vehicles proceeding at full speed towards their green signal.

(They probably thought the bus was stopped at a bus stop.)

I could tell the driver was expecting a big collision. But I slowed and stopped. The vehicles zoomed by at 35 mph and I crept to where I could see no other vehicles were coming.