Traffic Hazards to Firefighters
We all talk about the dangers of working on a roof, or we worry about a building collapse. Whenever the discussion turns to the dangerous things we do I can’t help but talk about working in traffic. I said for years that if we were going to lose a firefighter it would be in a highway accident. Fortunately that never happened, but the possibility of a firefighter being injured or worse on the highway is always in my head.
One of the smartest things we can do to stay safe in traffic is pay attention. We all know that those drivers on the road at 2 am have been out having a good time. I like to keep the mindset that every driver is texting, eating a burger, and doing their make-up while driving when I am working on the highway. With that mindset I am always aware that those drivers may come towards me at any time. There are a lot of techniques that we can use to keep ourselves away from the traffic. Unless the scenario requires you to be in the roadway keep behind the guardrail or behind the protection of a piece of apparatus. Out of the traffic means further from the hazard of traffic.
By now just about every department has issued everyone an orange and yellow safety vest. At first these vests look a little dorky. We like to look like firefighters, not like a tow truck driver or a parking attendant. Sorry, these vests do work, and there are a lot of other opportunities to show off the bunker gear. Wear the vest, it is there to keep you safe.
Remember to park your apparatus properly to protect the crew from oncoming vehicles. Be sure your procedures require you to park with safety in mind. Many police officers will direct you where to park when you arrive. Police officers are there to take care of traffic, so they will want you off the road so they can keep the traffic flowing. An officer insisted that we pull off onto the shoulder of the road when we pulled up to a car fire. We had a short discussion on the scene about where we need to park. A more civilized discussion later at the station helped him understand why we need to block some traffic.
We read all the time about firefighters getting hit while directing traffic. I find those stories very disappointing. I know we all like to help keep traffic running smooth but we don’t belong standing out in traffic. For some reason when we are done with our job on the roadway a few firefighters always seem to wander off and the next thing you know they are out there telling drivers which way to go. We aren’t trained to direct traffic. Stay out of the road, the police can handle the traffic, you really aren’t making much difference anyways.
Our job puts us in some dangerous situations, there is nothing we can do about that. The way we deal with the hazards is what we can control. We handle dangerous situations on the fireground by being cautious and alert. Use that same caution and alertness to stay safe on the roadway.
