Although this is sad, it teaches a lesson and informs our fellow first responders how to deal with the concept of railroad crossings and truly how dangerous they can be
Years ago I was walking along the railroad tracks with my Mountain bike, mind you it was at night so it was even harder for me to judge the speed of a train, there was a Passenger train approaching in the distance and I went to cross the tracks thinking I had plenty of time to cross, well long story short, I didn't have plenty of time, the locomotive engineer was blaring his horn at me and if I had went to cross 1 or 2 seconds later I swear I'd be dead, never again in my life will I do something so stupid, I almost became a statistic and I wouldn't be making this comment. So yes it is true that trains moving at high speed from a distance produce an optical illusion that they are moving slower than they really are.
Trains have the right of way over cars, pedestrians and emergency vehicles. Also, the EMS should have their scanner programmed such that it has rr frequencies
Yes they should indeed do that because if the first responders become victims themselves then they will make the situation worse as then there are two emergencies where no one can get to which will likely result in the deaths of the people who were injured in the incident that you responded to. That is why first responders should always be careful at railroad crossings. Remember trains have the right of way over other vehicles even including emergency responders so emergency responders should always yield to trains at railroad crossings. Emergency responders should never attempt to beat a train nor should they ever go around downed railroad crossing gates nor should they ever go past flashing red lights or bells as trains are often closer and faster than you think and they can’t stop in time to avoid a collision nor can they swerve to avoid a collision.
Glad the sheriff deputy survived. How embarrassing not to be expecting a train and looking. Didn't see the flashing red (o)=(o)? Bells are pedestrian warning. Idiot driver RETURNING goes around gates not considering another train could be coming? Darwin Award winner.
Emergency personnel need to know that a 12 million pound train vs a 50,000 pound firetruck or other emergency vehicle is no match. When a 12 million pound train hits a 50,000 pound firetruck, the truck and the crew is done. When a 12 million pound train hits a 14,000 pound ambulance, the ambulance and crew are toast. So, my PSA for all firefighters, police and EMS is STOP FOR THE TRAIN! It's better to be a few minutes late rather than not be there at all! Trains take miles to stop if the emergency brakes are applied! So Stop, and don't PRESS YOUR LUCK!
Im a First Responder in Bergen County, New Jersey we have a ton of trains we see them all the time. We normaly have 2 fire stations on each side of the railroad tracks.
There are so many people who are injured or killed by going around the gates. People who are jogging or walking with earbuds have run right into the side or the path of the train, especially in areas where local ordinances have been enacted to restrict warning horns and bells. If you allow your local government to enact those noise reduction ordinances, you are allowing them to sentence some of your neighbors to death. Don't let ignorant people get you killed.
@geo Civilians CAN stop trains if necessary. RUN in both directions to intercept a train far enough down the track that it can slow and stop before colliding with anything fouling the track. Call 9-1-1 so they can call the railroad. I have railroad emergency numbers stored in my cell phone and call them once a year to see if still current.
Initially before I watched this video I thought that first responders would do the same thing that people should do around railroad crossings that being stop, look, and listen and waiting for trains to go through the crossings before they go across. Unfortunately as I then found out via this video even many first responders ignore railroad crossing safety rules which often results in them being hit by a train.
it is always bad when our emergency crews get hit. sirens are on full blast and they don't hear the horns 1/3 of the crashes at crossings come from a train hitting emergency equipment. you emergency workers can prevent this call the railroads before you go on a call because if your not careful the next accident you respond to will be yours.
Manually flagging as shown using fusees requires a flagman to be 2miles from point of protection. One contempory of mine killed 5 fire fighters. He was the driver of the second train to reach a gated crossing when a pumper drove arround the gates on a double track line. So far I have never hit anything. My record for close calls is one motorcycle (running on track), one woman in a convertable, and one three ton rental truck driving arround gates IN A SINGLE TRIP!
3:23 Mee-mool lights *(o)T(o)* which the motorcycle officer failed to notice? Ladder truck *returning* to quarters could not wait for the gates to go up??
Unfortunately plenty of people are impatient so when they see that a train has passed they will often go through the crossing soon after it has passed. In a case like this however of course it is very dangerous for you and others to do that due to there being the possibility of there being additional trains. It is possible that the firefighter may not have thought that there were any other trains coming which is obviously a bad idea or he may have simply been impatient. Also not all railroad crossings have lights or bells as many of them only have crossbucks thus making it harder for him to notice the train.
I know that very well. That’s because tanker trucks usually contain gasoline or propane both of which are highly flammable. In short if the train were to hit the tank it would explode thus not only killing the truck driver but also killing the engineer and anyone who is in the front cab. The only other vehicle that engineers are scared off colliding with is a school bus which could be loaded with children.
911 Dispatchers and Railroad Dispatchers should work together and communicate with each other, if an emergency develops and the dispatcher sees that the route to the Emergency Scene from the Police Station, Fire Station or Ambulance Quarters requires passing over a Crossing or multiple crossings then in that case they should notify railroad operators right away and the railroad operators should advise all trains in the area or any trains expected to pass through the area to either temporarily stop until the Emergency Vehicles pass through all the crossings and get where they need to be or they should advise the trains to at least reduce as much speed possible until instructed otherwise, Trains can wait, Peoples Lives can’t and they’ll be depending on Emergency Services as quick as possible and obviously the nearest available Emergency Personnel are no good to the people who are in need of help if they get hurt on the way to the call!
@geomodelrailroader Incorrect. It depends upon how fast the train is moving, tonnage, downgrade, wet rails, etc. Even if unable to run far enough down the track in time to signal the train so that it can STOP before a collision, impact may be greatly reduced.
It’s also pretty depressing. Engineers are traumatized due to collisions and they often have to live with the guilt and trauma for the rest of their lives.
That is correct. The most important thing for emergency responders is their safety and the safety of others. If you become a victim yourself then you will make things worse as there will then be two or more victims or another incident which will then prevent you and other first responders from responding to a emergency and in a emergency such as a fire or medical emergency or injury or car wreck minutes are crucial as if the first responders can’t get to the emergency in time then the victims will likely die. That is why first responders are supposed to assess a emergency scene before going in for any hazards at the scene such as traffic or unstable structures. That is also in addition why first responders should be very careful around railroad crossings and trains and should never attempt to beat a train and should never go around downed railroad crossing gates and should never ignore railroad crossing lights or bells and should never go past them when the lights are flashing or the bells are ringing so that way a train collision can be avoided.
Actually, when emergent, you do not "have to stop." Our emergency vehicle drivers have discretion. If any question, stop and wait. Vehicles have crossed with 1/4 minute before the train arrived.
You're wrong, at least here in the UK ALL vehicles, which includes emergency vehicles responding to an emergency, MUST stop at all level / railroad crossings if the barriers are lowered and/or the lights are flashing.
nope i dont have to do crap. never. nEVER expect shit at railroad tracks i do however obey them and never run around them since i never mind a train getting in my way
my dad is a firefighter he said that would make it an emergency it also syncs with the trains radio systems in they know what to do to avoid hitting them
@jma10241 Trains can takeven longer. You wanto slowly slow to a stop. If I can see well in both directions down the track, I do not STOP. I SLOW, LOOK, LISTEN and continue. Grade crossing signals arextremely reliable, they "fail safe", but I STILLOOK for trains in case the signals fail toperate.
@@PottersVideos2 No. I treathe grade crossing as a typical non-signaled crossing (only crossbucks). When approachingrade crossings, I silence the siren, slow and look, able to stop if necessary. Recently crossed a track about 5 seconds after the mee-mool lights *(o)T(o)* began flashing. (We have minimum 25 seconds of warning before the train arrives athe crossing.) Train crossed the road 1/4 minute after I crossed.
@@robertgift You're an idiot then. Here in the UK it is a criminal offence for any vehicle to pass red flashing lights, even an emergency vehicle. Are you a Police officer by any chance?
@@robertgiftI honestly wouldn’t do that if I were you. If railroad crossing lights are flashing it means that you should stop and wait until the lights stop flashing as when the lights are on it means that a train is coming. You can’t judge how fast a train is coming as trains create a optical illusion that makes it seem like it is going slow when in relaity it is going much faster. In short by going across the tracks you could likely get hit by the train meaning that instead you should wait for the train or trains to pass and for the lights to stop flashing before going across. Remember you can’t help anyone if you get injured or killed.
@@jfournerat1274 Yes, you can judge how fasthe train is approaching. These are freightrains. Not high speed passenger trains. Also, the mee-mool lights *(o)T(o)* provide 25-seconds of warning before train arrival. If you cross 10 seconds after flashng begins, you still have 15 seconds before train arrival. *(o)T(o)* are the same as a grade crossings protected only by crossbuck signs.
Wow! Did you buy a lottery ticket when off duty? A holiday when many were drunk? 1. I'd call 9-1-1 2. Shunt the rails. 3. Call the railroad numbers stored in my cell phone. (How do I know which railroad?) Manual flagging is no good unless two people can run far enough in each direction to intercept a train in time. (2 miles is a long distance to cover on foot.) Imagine running one direction and the train approaches from the other? By the time fusees are seen from the scene, it may be too late.
Manual flagging is only used where two flagmen can get to both sides of the incident IN ADVANCE of anything being allowed trackside. Even then the dispatcher must be informed.
Eric Sondeen comes across as a very wise man. The fire station behind him looks like the one where a fellow Littleton paramedic by the name of Monte Fleming was interviewed by a British documentary film crew about what he saw and experienced when he and his fellow paramedics, police officers and firefighters responded to the shooting at Columbine High School on April 20th, 1999. Monte was one of the paramedics who rescued fifteen year old Freshman year student Sean Graves after having been shot and paralyzed outside the school's cafeteria.
@geomodelrailroader Haha Throttle position 8 does not mean high speed. Factors: Speed, grade, tonnage, wet rails. Abandon your "1 to 2 miles to stop" nonsense. You want to a train to slow to a stop.
