I remember running a call for a man unconscious at a traffic signal. When we arrived on the scene, sure enough the guy was passed out at the wheel, with his foot on the brake, on a highway with a slight downward slope. Only the luck of the drunk kept his car in place until I reached in, put the transmission in park and grabbed the keys out of the ignition.
But Santa Fe, New Mexico firefighters did much better than that. Faced with a somewhat more difficult situation Wednesday night they reached into their tool bag and prevented a police chase and possible harm to others. A combination of fire engine strength wheel chocks and a little forcible entry on a window kept a man police are describing as highly intoxicated from speeding off as the first cop arrived. Watch the video above.
Also on STATter911 …
- Police say man driving ambulance was drunk. Hackettstown, NJ squad member arrested before patient transport. – February 21, 2013
- UPDATE – Chief resigns: Alcohol troubles again for Carlisle, Iowa chief. Latest off-duty incident follows previous on-duty EMS response. – March 26, 2012
- Injured PGFD firefighters honored by MD Rep. Donna Edwards. Kevin O’Toole returns to Bladensburg firehouse. – June 13, 2012
- Pre-arrival video: Five-alarm fire in Santa Clara, CA. Townhomes under construction threaten occupied buildings. Video from four sides. – May 12, 2012
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The wheels should always be chocked at any incident involovng a vehicle anyways.
Thanks Melvin. I'll e-mail the news and ask them to retract their story.
LOL @ DC22FD!!!
That was pretty stupiud of them using the halligan bar to try to break the window, ever hear of a center punch? Every firefighter should carry one…
Why would you use the halligan anyhow, what if that jerk had a GUN?
Sometimes, we need to step back and let the cops do their job, when WE get involved, it opens us up to too much LIABILITY.
Haha ^
Yeah, what if the jerk had a gun? Then your center punch would have been even more useful. You could poke him in the eye with it and save the day!
Awesome job by the Santa Fe Fire Department. They are showing the rest of the Country what being a professional is all about.