Vehicle Placement Training

[grasstrimmer]

Does anyone have any diagrams or SOGs for personal vehicle and Rescue Truck placement on MVA scenes? Also what if what you think is safe does not line up with what HP thinks? bobovfd@yahoo.com

[JD1234]

I thought an article in the current issue or previous issue of Fire Engineering dealt with Rescue Truck placement at MVAs and vehicle fires.

[plisken]

our SOG is to put the rig between you and the incident. It takes alot to move the rig. if you block traffic who cares, it is your safety and your crews that is the most important. take a lane and a half, park 50-75 ft back so others (gutt bucket heavy rescue) can get in. It makes the traffic have to slow down to get by. The police might not like it but that is for the white shirts to figure out. but the shoulder and a lane, or 1 1/2 lanes is the way to go (don't forget the shoulder the bastards will try to sneek by). Blocking with the rig is the only safe way to go. POV's I have no clue, we are career so we always have a rig. but there have been to many LODD due rubber neckers having to see. If you block it they have to slow down or move your rig to get to you.

[grasstrimmer]

We had a scene where we bocked one lane and the shoulder on a four lane highway. The Highway patrol officer that arrived about fifteen minutes later didnt like us blocking the one lane.

[JD1234]

Recently, a NJ State Trooper arrested a firefighter and the Chief for doing something similar.

[TNFF319]

Great thing about being small town is the relationship with the police. They let us block off what we need because it helps protect them too. They are usually standing around with us watching or helping out. Many of the police officers were once firefighters.

[Buzzsaw]

Generally we run our rescue engine and our brush truck(has 2 full compartments of cribbing + EMS gear) on MVAs. Most times the vehicles are off the road in which case most of the time EMS units pull past the accident to head straight out for the hospital after patients are loaded while the engine blocks the lane of traffic. If necessary the engine will block the whole road. As of late the PD has been working well with us as far as shutting down the road and taking care of traffic. As far as POVs we don't want them on the scene unless 1 of 2 things happens they are on the sceen before the call is toned out or they have to pass the scene to get to the firehouse in which case they are to park as far away as possible. If they miss the truck they are to stage at the house and take the response car if manpower is requested.

[kvfd256]

Our all volunteer department has the following procedure for vehicle placement at mva's;

First due apparatus is rescue, which is to park ahead of the scene on the same side of the road as the incident.

Second due is our engine, which parks before the scene to control traffic and protect the scene.

Ambulance usually parks ahead of the scene next to or in front of the rescue.

POV's are to park on the same side of the road as the incident to allow for one lane to be opened when it can be done safely.