What Constitutes An Emergency Vehicle, It May Not Be As Obvious As You Think

By Author: Sunil Punjabi
Total Articles: 2565
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The main type of vehicle you would think of when you think emergency vehicle would be a fire or police vehicle. There are some other first response vehicles that you may not recognize so easily. Would you for instance recognize a Department of Environmental protection vehicle if it were bearing down on you on the highway? These vehicles deal with spills or leaks of hazardous substances or materials. You may see unmarked vehicles that have flashing lights and or sirens and many of these are emergency vehicles and you would do well to take heed as many of them can issue traffic tickets and stop you at roadside.

In the fire service there are not that many emergency vehicles and you would easily spot a Fire truck or an ambulance. However, there are sometimes cars and large command vehicles that will also attend scenes and these can be emergency vehicles also. Ambulances will be instantly recognizable as an emergency vehicle but beware as there can be those run by government departments and some used by private companies. Almost all emergency vehicle types will have at a minimum sirens ...
... and flashing lights somewhere on the vehicle. Many vehicles will also be marked with specific badges or markings to denote what type of vehicle they are.

Tow trucks and roadside rescue vehicles would also be classed as an emergency vehicle. Many people wouldn't class such vehicles in the same league as first response vehicles but they do attend at emergencies and if you ever had need of one then you would know they are emergency vehicles. Tow trucks and roadside rescue vehicles play a vital part in keeping our highways and roads clear, and without them and the service they provide we may find driving more difficult than it already is. Imagine a highway littered with broken down vehicles and how difficult it would be to navigate around them!

There is lots of published advice on what to do if an emergency vehicle is approaching you and the information will differ from state to state. In the main, all of the advice will say similar things and the first thing would be always being aware and consciously look out for emergency vehicles. You may not hear them, as it isn't always appropriate for the vehicles to have their siren on. If an emergency vehicle were approaching in your lane, the advice would be to pull over to provide an opening for the vehicle to pass. Always do this as quickly as possible as time is always of the essence in such situations.

Sometimes an emergency vehicle may approach in the opposite lane to the one you are in. The advice here would be to slow down or stop if possible as the vehicle may need to turn into your lane. Whenever you see any kind of emergency vehicle, hear sirens or see flashing lights then you need to take appropriate action. Don't think it's only the main first response vehicles you need to let pass or overtake you. All emergency vehicles have a need to get to where they are needed as quickly as possible. Be aware that there are more emergency vehicles out there than the main three of police, fire and ambulance.

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