WWYD? Firetruck Edition

[MiniDave]

So, driving back from Topeka last night, we were on K-10 heading home after dropping Clancy at his house. K-10 is a 4 lane highway with a grass median, 70 mph speed limit.

It's pitch black night, and a short ways ahead a firetruck gets on the highway, lights and siren on....traffic clears to allow them onto the highway and now there are about 5 cars behind him in both lanes. The LED lights they use are extremely bright and really annoying - which I suppose is a good thing - they want to be seen.

Anyway, we follow along for quite a ways, past three different exits and now we're a ways out of town and I wonder a) where they heck are they going? b) why would they call this one when we've passed a couple of exits where there are towns with their own fire companies. c) how long do I have to follow this guy?

So, pass, follow or what?

I found this morning that the law says it's not legal to pass a firetruck or other emergency vehicle on the highway, but no mention is made of multilane highways, where you would not impede their progress.

I passed him as he was going about 60-65 mph and went on ahead.....immediately he shut off the lights and siren and did not turn them on again.

So.........now what? Should I expect a citation in the mail or a couple of jack booted cops on my doorstep? Why was he out there, and why did he shut down the lights and siren? Maybe the call was cancelled? Why was he so far from where he pulled onto the highway?

Enquiring minds want to know!

What would you have done?

[94touring]

If he's going under the speed limit I'm passing.  I have passed cops going under the speed limit before.  It's annoying.

[ADRay]

I don't recall ever traveling along with fire trucks on the highway, but in New England, ambulances in full alarm are usually the slowest thing on the road and the cruise in the slow lane.

[BruceK]

Yeah, I would have passed it too if it was going under the speed limit.

[MiniDave]

I could understand it if they were going to a conflagration, but after 10 miles or so and plenty of surrounding communities I'm not sure what they were doing.....I thought maybe going to a car crash....it was curious that he turned off the lights and siren immediately after I passed him.

Oh well.....first time for everything in life I guess.

[Dan Moffet]

Those guys are so used to going somewhere with everything lit up, they probably don't notice when they are still on. In the original post situation they could have been on a call to support another fire brigade and got a cancellation just as you passed. It is common among smaller communities to support one another. In larger cities, when one area's fire crews are tied up (maybe more than one stations), other crews are dispatched to cover the busy area in case another call for service comes in. Calls for fire department service are not just for fires. They provide support for ambulance calls (sometimes they get there first) to provide first aid or physical assistance in moving patients. They also provide protection during vehicle crashes by parking their big heavy, well lit trucks at an angle to shield those actually doing the crash work.

One good reason no to pass an emergency vehicle with lights on is that you do not know when they might be making a sudden turn or stop. even on a divided highway, they may be approaching one of those "authorized vehicle only" turn-arounds.

A ambulance may not be going fast for several reasons: the vehicle may be slow and cumbersome or the paramedics may be working on a patient inside. The patient and stretcher may be tied down, but the paramedic isn't and may be accessing the many cabinets and devices inside the vehicle. (I had 4 ambulance trips last year, fortunately not needing lights or siren but the ride was definitely rough enough at the speed-limits.)