Report Number: 05-0000154
Report Date: 05/27/2005
Event Description
We ran a crash on the interstate in the main lanes. It turned out that no one was hurt. When we were clearing the call a car passed in the C-D (collector-distributor) lane and hit a piece of metal that flew up and passed my head. The metal struck the pumper with enough force to put a dent in the side of the compartment door the size of an orange.
The police were on the scene but forgot to cancel us from the call so we showed up. The traffic in the C-D lane was moving a full speed and the state police do not like to slow down or stop the traffic. If traffic had slowed down I believe that this metal would never made it over the jersey barrier.
The weather was cool and dry.
Lesson Learned
1. I am much more careful on the interstate. I believe every motorist is out there to try and kill me or that is what it seems.
2. I do not hesitate to get lanes closed or get traffic slowed down.
3. I also think we need to increase the communication between fire and police. Maybe an "interstate" channel or some other common channel we can use to check the status of the accident or get the police to slow or stop traffic without going to the dispatcher. Those extra steps slows down notification and can confuse the process.
4. We all need to be more aware of our surroundings.
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