Speaking of parking, there was a local incident in the news just a couple days ago that was really sad but also makes me so angry at the waste.

This was radio news, so the details are a bit sketchy, but there was some traffic accident in the fast lane or carpool lane of a divided highway with a grass median. Fire/EMS was already on scene and had parked their equipment to shield the accident scene from traffic (I have no idea if there were flares out yet) but someone (inattentive? DUI?) comes barelling along, sees the flashing lights late, swerves onto the grass median to avoid hitting the emergency vehicle, and runs over a victim being treated by a medic on the grass median, away from the roadway. The medic survived but the victim was killed. What a waste.

Anyway, it just emphasizes the point that just because the original accident has happened, doesn't mean that you can't be involved in another one in the same spot. So be very cautious if you're going to be around the accident scene!

I think that all the other responses represent an excellent overview. One of the most helpful thing civilians do for us is to help us FIND THE SCENE!

At the last house fire we did, it was up at the end of a long, long lane, and some smart person sent someone up to the end of the lane to direct us and tell us how far down it was and another person at the long driveway leading to the house. Because it was so far down the lane, we were able to have an engine reverse-lay 5" supply line from the scene out, which saved quite a few minutes, because the were able to dump all 1500' of their 5" line and then we just pulled down another 500' to meet the end of their drop, knowing that we were already hooked up to the attack engine at the other end of the 5" line, and also that we'd immediately need a lot of water right away just to fill 2000' of hose. All this because two people simply helped us find the scene and give us a tiny bit of information more than we had.

As far as response times, we're likely neighbors (I'm in Bucks County) and 30 minutes is on the long side for a response, but not at all unexpected given that so many EMS companies have gone bankrupt in the last 2 years. We just lost the ambulance crew for Dublin PA, and up here in the North end, the EMS squad is always on the verge of economic collapse.

Excellent point. I work for an employer where the local FD knows the buildings by number, but finding an arresting employee in the warren of hallways would be tough. As part of our CPR training we are trained to begin CPR but also to send someone out to the front of the building to notfy the receptionist (who calls security), and flag down the engine company and make sure they can come back and find the patient quickly.

As much as this is good advice, it's not always possible to know your limits until you find them. Last year, I worked a fatal wreck with a member who, until that moment, had only worked on wrecks that did not involve a death.

We waited a long time for the coroner to come and tell us that the dead guy was in fact dead, and in that time, we kind of stood around looking at the car and studying how it wrecked, and after a while, we became oblivious to the body in the car. When the coroner showed up, he assessed the body, stood up from the car and said, "Cut him out" and then we set to work. We were doing fine, going really slowly, not taking any risks. Then came the time to actually start pulling he body out, and while I had noticed early in the extrication process that the guys legs had been cut off just above the knees, the woman working with me on the job did not, and she did not react well at all. Although she helped me pull the guy out, she never ran a call with us again after that. But she seemed OK, and didn't hit a limit until it was quite late.

To the point of the gore and yuck factor. It's a human being, even when it's a dead body. We are all built from the same parts and fluids, we all break in the same ways, and if you look at a compound fracture or an amputation as an urgent repair needed on a fantastic machine, it's a lot easier. I always see the messy jobs as a major problem to be solved - stop the leaks, keep things from getting worse, keep the machine going until experts can work on it.

Man, finally a question I know something about, and after reading all of the responses, there is NOTHING I can think of to add...

Once in a while, a thought runs through my head that I can't believe I used to be in that line of work. It's been a long time ago. Amazing how I still vividly remember some things I have been through. No regrets.

Just a few thoughts, in my experience:

1- Call 911 (if possible) and give the most accurate and detailed description of where the emergency is at. For example, N/B direction of ---, east of ---. etc.

2- Pay attention where you park because the emergency vehicles will block you in for as long as they're there. Don't park near a fire hydrant if there's a fire.

3- If there are injuries, don't move victims unless you absolutely have to- you could make their injuries worse. I recently responded to an accident where the unbelted driver wound up on the passenger's belly. I told the passenger not to move and to leave the driver there. The passenger was hysterical and wanted me to do something- he called me everything in the book. Turned out the driver sustained a broken back, punctured lung and broken ribs. I can only imagine if I removed the driver... I don't have very deep pockets.

4- My pet peeve... if there are no or very minimal injuries and the cars can move, MOVE THEM OUT OF THE WAY! There is no sense in leaving the cars there to prove fault of the accident. The damage will more than likely prove that anyway.

5- I'll think of more later, I've got to refill my glass...

Great topic. Being a firefighter, I appreciate help from bystanders to a point.The biggest thing to remember is to not become part of the problem, as was mentioned before.

Thanks for all the interesting and insightful replies. To summarize:
• Call 911 and give precise information as to position and conditions
• Assess the situation against your capabilities
• If you think you can help, park your vehicle out of harm’s way (downstream, if possible)
• Maintain situational awareness, protect yourself so you don’t become another victim
• Render aid as you know how, but first do no harm.
• When the pros arrive do what they say and leave when asked

Also, just so I don’t leave anyone with the wrong impression, I am not a FR wannabe. I don’t gawk at fires or accident scenes, don’t chase ambulances or firetrucks. I carry a scanner because I want to avoid accident scenes at all cost (I drive 500-600 miles a week, the last thing I want is to get caught up in more traffic). I let the pros do what they do and stay the heck out of their way when I can. I carry small personal strobe lights so I can be seen when changing a tire on the side of the road. (I will purchase some safety vests for all the cars, that’s a darn good idea.) Carrying the other gear is just being prepared.

But I don’t think I should shirk from helping out when a need arises. I will plan to get the training recommended and I will keep all the info from your replies somewhere in my brain. Hopefully it will pop up if and when the time comes.

Thanks folks, good conversation.

Andy

Me too. Been away from it for almost eight years. Had a lot of fun, got scared a few times, had to play God more than once, deciding who lives and who dies (triage can be hard on the first responder sometimes), saved a few blinkers that I thought were a gonner. Cost me, among other things, two operations on my lower back (but kept two small children alive). Wouldn't trade it for the world, but probably wouldn't do it again...