Fire trucks have excellent brakes.

[edible_hat]

Today I saw two Darwin award applicants fail to get their awards by about a foot.

Two lanes of traffic each way, tram tracks down the middle of the road. Traffic has stopped. There are sirens. A fire truck comes tearing down the tram lane.

The two high school kids decided that would be a good time to cross the tram tracks. Fire truck driver sees them and honks the horn. Idiots ignore it and keep on yapping at each other, despite having to yell over the sound of the sirens. Fire truck slams on the brakes, comes to a stop about a foot from these two idiots. Who just kept on yapping away while crossing the tram tracks at a leisurely pace.

They're bloodly lucky the fire department has such a good maintenance plan.

[WhiteRose]

well, actually, it would then be perfectly acceptable to hit them. they were in the way of an important public service, they put THEMSELVES in danger. at least, from MY point of view...

[Salted Grump]

Yeah, but then the Fire Truck would have to stop and apply medical attention until the paramedics arrived...

Sort of a 'Damned if you do, Damned if you don't' situation.

[ferebee]

I saw a couple of teenage boys (naturally!) do this with a shunting freight train once. A couple of cars on each side of the crossing were stopped waiting. these two Just walked in front of the engines (horns blowing, yard bells ringing) absolutely misguidedly confident in the pedestrians have right of way thing, or their own self importance, I guess. Not like a freight train can stop fast even if it was moving slow.

[mattm04]

I have never see anyone come that close but last summer i hear sires and pull over near a intersection. A Police cars goes flying by followed by a fire truck 5-600 ft. behind the cruiser. After the cruiser passes two idiots decide to cross while traffi is still stopped with lights and sirens. They don't run but casually walk across. The driver sees them and is forced to make a quick stop about 50 ft. short. Morons just look at the shiny truck with all the pretty lights. The driver gets on the PA "PEDESTRIANS MOVE OUT OF THE..." they scramble off but the driver continues to talk to the others FF's without shutting off the PA, "fuck*** morons, dammit!" As he floors it and speeds off.

[Dreamstalker]

the driver continues to talk to the others FF's without shutting off the PA, "fuck*** morons, dammit!" As he floors it and speeds off.

How the hell do you NOT notice an emergency vehicle bearing down on you?

...wait, I think I just answered my own question One only needs to hang out at the major intersection here (equidistant from three fire stations) for a day or two to see how. I've seen elderly people with walkers wobble into the crosswalk when it's obvious that's a bad idea...yes there's a walk light, but there's also a fire truck screaming down the road. It's faster than you are (and also likely can't see them in time to stop).

[Lingering Grin]

"fuck*** morons, dammit!"

I think you censored the wrong part of that word... you're suppose to censor the 'fuck' not the 'ing'

[mattm04]

I think you censored the wrong part of that word... you're suppose to censor the 'fuck' not the 'ing'

Whoops

So much for keeping it PG

[Salted Grump]

PG? What's that? When it comes to pedestrians thinking i can stop my car on a dime, well... I haven't been charged with anything, but I know some morons got the Brown-pants treatment when I rev a 350ci without mufflers.

It's funny seeing them jump when the Buick Snarls.