Why is it illegal to follow a firetruck?

August 23, 2023 3:17 PM

Why is it illegal to follow a firetruck within 150 metres?
posted by If only I had a penguin... to Law & Government (13 answers total)

Here's what the internet says:

When a fire truck is responding to an emergency it is important to give it a wide berth. It is illegal in most states to follow a fire truck closer than 500 feet and for good reason. The large vehicle can stop quickly and if you are following too closely you could wind up rear-ending the truck.

In addition the fire truck may have to make sudden turns and you could get caught up in the middle of the action if you are too close.
posted by hydra77 at 3:30 PM on August 23, 2023 [2 favorites]

In many states it's illegal to follow them at all.

I can think of two reasons:

1. More emergency vehicles will likely be using the same route and they need it clear
2. To avoid a string of minor collisions between multiple people trying to follow the truck.

posted by Tell Me No Lies at 3:32 PM on August 23, 2023 [2 favorites]

Response by poster: Ok I DID google it and could only find that it IS illegal. Second why doesn't the same rule hold for responding ambulances or police?

(I assume it's illegal to follow too closely on the sense that you can't be behind it driving in the same lane, going wherever you were going in the first place not just that you can't try to go wherever it's going)
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 4:01 PM on August 23, 2023

I had a friend who drove an ambulance and she said people would draft behind her all the time to get a free “escort” out of traffic and I imagine if she’s driving to an emergency she wants to focus on driving safely but quickly to her destination and not get distracted by the asshole on her tail.
posted by St. Peepsburg at 4:03 PM on August 23, 2023 [25 favorites]

I guess I don't know this for a fact, but I always knew it was because they may be deploying hoses or other gear without warning.
posted by Ickster at 4:38 PM on August 23, 2023

There was a fire recently in my neighborhood and before it was out multiple vans selling fire remediation services had shown up. Just noting that some people are affirmatively motivated to follow fire trucks for business reasons, probably increasing the risks of traffic and crashes.
posted by rustcellar at 4:41 PM on August 23, 2023 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Back in the day, firefighters used to ride on a little platform on the back of the fire truck, with only a grab bar to keep them from falling off. And they did used to fall off.

This is where the firefighters stood.

When I was in elementary school they held a school assembly after some kid pulled a fire alarm for fun, or out of ignorance. A firefighter fell off the truck that was responding and died. I don't remember if it was just because he fell off the speeding truck or if some vehicle behind also ran over him or hit him. They took the opportunity to teach us never, ever, ever to pull false alarms.

Back in the day fire fighters used deliberately jump off the moving firetruck as it passed the nearest fire hydrant, holding the end of the fire hose that needed to be attached to the hydrant. This saved a lot of time for them to get things hooked up. They could literally have the truck pull up in front of the fire and have a second fire fighter jump off with the nozzle end of the hose, point it - and have the water start flowing because the first one had just turned the water on. They were very proud of their ability to do this quickly.

Then the union got involved and the death rate for fire fighters went way, way down.

Anyway, the laws regarding not following a fire truck date back to when people following fire trucks used to kill firefighters.

I still remember the expressions of fury and disbelief on the face of the firefighters hanging on to the back of a speeding firetruck, when the taxi I was in not only tailgated them, but then swerved ahead to pass their truck on St. Jacques Street in Montreal. They still had the firefighters hanging onto the back as late as the eighties. That could actually have been the most unbelievable experience of my life. My taxi driver passed a firetruck that was speeding to a call. Makes having to check the back seat of the taxi today for discarded needles feel like a lot less of a hazard...
posted by Jane the Brown at 4:53 PM on August 23, 2023 [17 favorites]

When flashing lights appear, you pull over to let them pass, and then gently merge back into traffic. Ambulance-chasing assholes driving at high speeds make re-merging hazardous for everyone.
posted by ovvl at 5:30 PM on August 23, 2023 [2 favorites]

Best answer: There are a few reasons: firetrucks, especially quints and towers/ladders, are really, really, really heavy. Tenders too. So a big rig, add all the hoses and tools, and then a 100’+ metal ladder and 300-3500 (that’s not a typo) gal/water. Catching a plug - like Jane the Brown was saying, can’t ride the tailboard anymore, but the junior man (buttsman) is going to hop out and come around back to grab the large diameter hose and wrap the hydrant; then the engineer will pull forward. That doesn’t even get into deploying thiefs/wyes, relay and tandem pumping, or setting up a drafting operation/establishing a water point. Engineers have to drive very defensively as folks LOVE to pull out in front of firetrucks. I can tell you that a personal vehicle running into the back of a rig at good speed is not going to have the best outcome. If it’s a vehicle collision, gotta use the rig to block the scene and direct traffic, then all of the tools and operators coming off the truck. Departments with little money for upgrades are still running true hydraulic tools, not eDraulics like larger municipalities. Gotta have room to deploy high pressure hydraulic lines. All of this is taking place within 10-60 seconds of the truck stopping. Trucks will also block traffic to push an ambulance forward depending on the nature of the call.
posted by sara is disenchanted at 5:45 PM on August 23, 2023 [8 favorites]

Best answer: In BC we are required to keep back 150m (~500'). DriveSmartBC says:

Large Fire Vehicles are not Nimble

Fire apparatus is not always as nimble as the vehicles most people drive so they may not be able to easily pull away from traffic. Following at the proper distance leaves room for sudden stops, turns and unexpected lane changes. Following too closely could cause a collision that would prevent the fire truck from reaching the emergency and have significant consequences in both locations.

Don't Get Trapped in the Situation

As a follower, you don't know what sort of emergency the fire truck is responding to. It may be a situation that you don't want to become involved in such as an explosion or building collapse. Proper following distance will keep you from becoming trapped in the situation.

Fire Hydrant Location

Finally, hydrants are usually located at street corners in the city. Keeping back allows firefighters to lay hose in safety.

posted by Mitheral at 8:42 PM on August 23, 2023 [3 favorites]

We are also required to give ambulance and any emergency vehicle with lights clearance but the the law doesn't spell out a specific distance. The back of our ambulances have Keep Back signage reminding drivers.
posted by Mitheral at 8:44 PM on August 23, 2023 [1 favorite]

There are several good answers above, to which I would add that there's an unfortunate phenomenon in which drivers' attention gets riveted to the flashing lights, and the moment a fire vehicle passes them, they assume the coast is clear and pull back into the lane/intersection without looking. It's dangerous for two emergency vehicles who are responding to the same call, and it's dangerous for car drivers who are following too closely and get into an accident because other people let their guard down the moment they see the engine has passed them.
posted by itstheclamsname at 11:36 AM on August 25, 2023

As a newly minted EMT I can vouch that lights and sirens turns everyone else stupid. In fact, the current thinking is that there's enough of a safety tradeoff to consider running without them when bringing in a patient.

But yeah, it was about firefighters falling off the back.
posted by whuppy at 8:16 AM on August 26, 2023