Concluded a 2-hour aerial ladder operations training at an acquired structure, and the tower ladder was departing from the site onto a 2-lane roadway. Two firefighters entered the roadway on foot to hold traffic while the apparatus pulled out from the driveway, and the tower ladder activated its emergency lights. Before pulling out into the lane, the driver of the apparatus observed that the approaching vehicle was not slowing down, and the firefighter in the roadway was not looking in that direction. Thankfully, all three personnel were wearing wireless headsets, and the apparatus driver immediately yelled to the firefighter to get out of the way; he was able to step out of the way and narrowly avoid being hit.
LESSONS LEARNED:
ALWAYS wear a high-vis vest when entering the roadway, even for a short period. Maintain situational awareness and always face the direction of oncoming vehicles.
05/11/25 at 22:30, Engine 40 was responding to a medical emergency call. Once on the scene, the engine operator was informed by a police officer who had been following the engine that a length of hose had fallen off the back of the truck while en route and had emptied onto the roadway. Upon completion of the medical call, the engine returned to discover that the 500′ of 3″ auxiliary supply line had slipped past the hose bed cover. It was also found that some of the buckles for the hose bed cover were broken before the incident. The hose was picked up, the engine returned to the station, and the crew repacked the auxiliary supply line. The broken hose bed cover buckles were also repaired.
The engine was returning to the station after responding to a medical emergency and had stopped at a red-light traffic signal. When the light turned green, the engine began to proceed through the intersection. A motorcycle, at a high rate of speed, past the engine and turned in front of the engine narrowly missing the front bumper of the engine by approximately four feet. The air horn was deployed.
