Greetings Theodore and Dawes Communities,
It’s hard to believe that one quarter of the year 2025 is now behind us. As we jump head long into Spring, I am reminded of the ole adage “April showers bring May flowers”. Well, those April showers got an early start on Sunday March 30th . The unstable weather that passed through our area really kicked up our calls, mostly due to lightning strikes. We had a couple of gas lines that were ruptured and at least one water main that got hit, needless to say our units were extremely busy during the time frame that the storms moved through. As I pin this chapter of Tailboard Talk, I listen to the heavy rains and thunderstorms rolling through the area once again. I am continuously hoping that the radio remains silent, and my phone does not chime with an alert. I do not care for this type of weather even though I have lived through many storms over the course of my entire career.
It is already risky business any time you put an emergency vehicle on the streets and that risk increases when those vehicles are running code. Now throw heavy rains, wet roads, and limited visibility in the mix and risk doubles again. We train our members to operate and drive in this kind of weather, but we don’t train you, John Q. Public. It seems to me that when it rains, many people are just drawn to get out in it and that is something I will never understand. People react differently to an emergency vehicle when they see one responding to a call. For as many people there are driving and interacting with an emergency vehicle, there are that many different reactions. I know in one of my very first Tailboard Talks, I pointed out that the people out here in our area seem to react better than my experiences within the city. Somewhere over the course of almost three years I have been here, there has been some kind of shift. Lately I have encountered more and more people that just seem to be lost on what to do when reacting to an encounter with a responding emergency vehicle.
I wanted to take just a minute and point out just a few things I have noticed of late. Number one is people do not pay attention while driving. Too many distractions and the leading cause of said distractions are cell phones. Please put them down and focus on your driving. Nothing is so important that it can’t wait until you stop or have an opportunity to get off the road. When you realize you are about to encounter a responding emergency vehicle, DO NOT PANIC. I watched an individual last week snatch his/her vehicle hard to the right when he saw me approaching from the rear. That move could have easily led to him/her losing control of the vehicle and crashing. Especially on a rain-soaked roadway. I was taught many years ago to slow down and move to the right when an emergency vehicle is approaching you from the front or the rear. I’m not quite sure that it is taught as hard as it should be based on some reactions. We train our apparatus drivers to always be alert and to slow down at all intersections regardless of if they have a green light.
We ask that our community also give the right-of-way when you can do so safely to our emergency responding vehicles. Remember, when you are behind the wheel of your vehicle, remain alert, pay attention and slow down and move to the right for safe encounters with responding emergency apparatus.
Have a wonderful Spring,
Chief Byrd