EMS administrator talks ambulance road safety

Lin Martin, the EMS Administrator at the Rehoboth Beach Fire Department says, “The biggest one of our dangers is going to calls to get help to our community as fast as possible.”

Martin is now reminding his team that safety comes first. He’s doing this in light of what happened in Accomack County Virginia. An ambulance driver is facing charges after a severe crash, which may have killed the patient in the vehicle.

Martin took 47 ABC on a ride to give us an understanding about what it’s like behind the wheel of an ambulance.

Martin continues, “We’re trying to get to the call, trying to read our map, and trying to know where we need to go, as well as listen to patient information from the dispatch center.”

According to the National Traffic Safety Administration and Ground Ambulance Crashes 2014 report, between 1992 and 2011, there was an average of 4,500 motor vehicle traffic crashes involving an ambulance each year.

Martin goes on, “Our goal is to get to our patients; to 90 percent of our calls, 90 percent of the time, in 9 minutes. That’s our goal; without causing another accident.”

To continue to make that happen, EMS can use the help of other drivers. Martin says when headed to an emergency on a three lane road, drivers should try to move away from the center lane and stop.

On a two lane road, with traffic going both ways, a driver should get out of the way of an emergency vehicle by pulling over.

Martin says one of the worst things drivers can do is slam on the breaks and just stop in the lane. Another issue is when drivers move over and continue to drive at an accelerated speed.

This is why Martin tells us all ambulance drivers are trained to expect the unexpected. It’s a part of their yearly emergency driving course. It’s a policy to abide by traffic laws; at least in Rehoboth.

Martin says, “We don’t have a free pass. We do have buttons here that change the light from red to green.”

Ambulance drivers use that button and other methods to navigate through traffic a little better. However, Martin says the bottom line is emergency responders and motorists alike are responsible for road safety.

Martin goes on, “A little bit of courtesy both ways goes a long way.”