What you guys do when an ambulance passes you code 3?

[Richard B the EMT]

Now my two cents:

If you have 2 or more emergency vehicles in convoy while travelling in emergency mode (L&S), first, remember that the civilians will usually be visually affixed to whatever vehicle is in the lead, think that the siren from the next vehicle is simply an echo from the first vehicle, then can and will pull out without looking into the next vehicle's path.

If you MUST convoy (officially discouraged by the FDNY, for just that reason, by the way), make sure that whatever siren setting the first vehicle is using, use a different one! Vehicle one is "yelping," vehicle two should be either "Hi/Low" or "Wail". Vehicle three should be on whatever is left over, or rapidly switching between all settings, with some airhorn thrown in for good measure. Although it goes without saying, I'm still going to say, "Driving an Emergency vehicle at Emergency status requires more attention to the traffic than not at emergency status. If in convoy at emergency status, assume another layer of traffic observation for everyone's safety."

[emaxray]

When I was in CA I had every cop from Orange County Sheriff to Military Police and Oceanside clear intersections. Back in Ohio, I don't even think they yield. :? If units are responding from behind me, I always edged to the right alittle and turned lifghts on. If someone decided to creep forward, yip the siren(didn't happen often). Any other direction and especially in heavy traffic, I stay quiet and wave.

[mrt2113]

Only a few times.

It is very dangerous, and gets worse with more traffic.

Once and a while, an ambulance or police cruiser will run interference near the hospital. The ER is located on a side street of a major one way road. If the one way road can be safely blocked...

We have to be careful. Frequently, the cruisers are responding with us, and are either just ahead, or just behind us. If the call is more police then EMS, we will shut off the lights and sirens, and them vice-versa. Stealth mode.

We do not turn on lights and sirens at an intersection to "help" an ambulance get through, I tried it once and screwed evryone up costing the other ambulence 30 seconds and life threataning manuvers, however if i am pulling out of the hospital(ours is located on the street to) and another rig is coming i will stop oncoming traffic as the rest of our crew will do for us. We have had our PD do this a few times for me and they are quite good at it