If it's an emergency vehicle, you yield to it - always. No matter what. No matter if you think they're running their lights and/or sirens for "no reason", or that what they're up to is "bullsh**t". They have the right of way, period. If the people operating the emergency vehicles are misbehaving, the time to deal with that is afterwards on the phone or via post. Refusing to yield is dangerous, possibly illegal, and pointless and foolish even if not. Actually stopping and getting into a verbal altercation with them is borderline insanity.
I don't necessarily disagree with you
@Jake Orosi, but I would to clarify what I
personally observed:
1. The FD personnel seemed to be "chasing"; They were moving north and east with "us", zig-zagging to follow the storm.
NOTE: This could be an officially sanctioned duty, but in my experience (as a former volunteer for several fire departments and a retired career fire/medic) dispatched units position themselves to the southwest of a city as "lookouts" for city protection. Once a storm is no longer a threat to their city, they return to base.
2. The FD truck was rarely parked safely out of the roadway, unlike the chasers I saw. (see pic). They even left their doors open.
3. FD personnel appeared to be using official status and lights/sirens in order to gain "preferential parking", and in fact appeared on several occasions to bully chasers from their safely parked positions, only to park UNSAFELY themselves.
4. The FD personnel were agitated and aggressive because they weren't getting respect/compliance from other chasers, and a lot of foul language and threats were heard (in both directions), mostly because the FD people were creating an unnecessary hazard and appeared to be an unprofessional pack of bullies acting in a VERY questionable "official" manner.
5. Chasers were pissed because of #4 above. They were forced from their positions simply because some bully with a siren and official FD status wanted their parking spot.
Fire/EMS and law enforcement personnel are
required by law to exercise diligence and "due regard" for public safety when operating emergency vehicles with lights and siren. In my (fairly qualified) opinion, the unprofessional behavior of the FD personnel actually contributed to a hazardous traffic situation, and it was a technical abuse of power by public officials for their arbitrary and unprofessional demands on the public to yield for no discernible reason.
Below pic illustrates the FD truck parked in a way that clearly obstructs traffic, even though Twin Peaks road had plenty of room for them to pull in and park along with several chasers (myself included)
I considered writing a letter to their fire chief, and might still do so in light of the recent publicity. Let this post reflect my public opinion on the matter.
TR
