Fire Engines

Kenzo

Kenzo

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Well if its not ice cream vans, it’s the blooming emergency services, fire engines in this case!

I was riding yesterday evening around the village, baring in mind our village is 30 mph zone with snaking bends and blind corners, anyway in the distance I heard a some sort of emergency service siren, but it was some way away (top main road that does not run through the village) so I presumed it was on there as you hear them all the time, about 2 minutes later as I’m approaching this bend, fire engine comes steaming around this blind bend on the opposite side of the road with its flashing lights (no siren) must have been doing 50mph, as it swerved round and leaned right over, by this time my heart nearly dropped out of my mouth, I stuck my hand out to waive them down and shouted whoah (thinking ok this is it, this is going to hurt) before getting both reins……..whoosh, it went straight past me, the driver made no attempt to slow down, just looked at me and carried on with a huge draft then caused my horse to skitter down the road.

Well I couldn’t believe it, I honestly thought I’d sh*t myself, I couldn’t believe I was still in once piece.

Now don’t get me wrong, I know they have an emergencies to tend to, I appreciate this, but for crying out loud, surely some thought has to be taken when driving a huge vehicle like that, at high speed, around a village with blind corners and bends, with no footpath on one side, around junctions, farm entrances and where children on bikes and horse riders are always knocking about…I was fuming!:mad:

If a car happened to be passing me, or someone (on a horse/on a bike/invalid scooter) had been going round that corner on that side of the road, they would have been killed!:mad:

Fair enough, on straight roads they can drive as fast as they like for my liking (even if it is a village) at least the driver of the fire engine can see better to drive at such speed more safely, but wtf!

I will be writing the fire local station about this (where the fire engine will of come from which is in the next market town) to ask them to bare this in mind next time they get called out and have to drive through a village of this type before they cause an fatal accident.

This is the second time this has happened to me now, last time the sirens were left on, same bit of road actually, horse I was on had just come of racing, I as the was the first person to ride this horse so first time out and first out without riding in a string and the same blooming thing happened (typical I know), said horse was traffic shy of anything with an engine coming towards it ever since… horse ruined.

I don't expect them to stick the limits in villages, of course I don't, but that was just pure stupidity that will cause another accient, even if me being on the horse wasn't in the equation.

Anyway rant over.:rolleyes:
 
I dread this happening where I ride, exit from yard is on to a really twisty bit of road, blind bends and narrow sections and there are several villages beyond that are served by the main station so this is the quickest route through. I often see and hear sirens when Im in the yard or fields but thank goodness, never had one get that close to me. As you say, I appreciate they are in a hurry, but surely risking another accident is not a good move. As a matter of interest who were you riding last night, was it your little TB? Hope horsey wasnt too traumatised by it all, obviously the bad experience you had before must be playing on your mind. The amount of stuff we riders have to cope with is amazing isnt it, you just never know whats lurking round the next turn, literally. Im sure when I was younger, hacking out used to be a relaxing pastime, now its turning into an Olympic sport:(
 
Yes I was riding my little TB and she's skitty as it is, I've only just got her used to tractors again (providing they really slow down) so you can imagine the look on my face when this came round the corner and the part of the road I as on, is only narrow too.

Now if engine had kept the siren while approaching the village (rather than just on the top road) I'd of known it was coming through the village, so I could of placed myself somewhere a safer (someone's drive way etc) but then the noise of siren could of made things worse if they had kept it on...who knows.

Either someone up there was looking after me, because I really honestly can't believe nothing terrible happened.
 
Sounds like you had a horrible time of it. Thank goodness you and your horse were not hurt.
I guess that meeting fire engines, ambulances, police cars etc is just one of the hazards you expect occasionally when out hacking. But I imagine occurrences like this are probably pretty rare - I hack through a village that links two quite large towns and have only ever encountered an ambulance on blues and twos once in 5 years (admittedly he did switch his siren off as soon as he saw me, but kept the lights on).
Maybe have a quiet word with the fire station, but if it was me, I'd chalk it down to a very freak encounter, thank whatever entity you believe in for a lucky escape and just crack on.
 
Had the fire engine slowed down/stopped for you to sort yourself out and then reached their destination 2 mins too late to save the life of somebody in a building burning, I suspect you'd be feeling a whole lot worse than you do now.

I'd just take it on the chin. One of those things that rarely happens and both you and your horse are fine. Laws of averages say it's not going to happen again sometime soon :).
 
quirky said:
Had the fire engine slowed down/stopped for you to sort yourself out and then reached their destination 2 mins too late to save the life of somebody in a building burning, I suspect you'd be feeling a whole lot worse than you do now.

I'd just take it on the chin. One of those things that rarely happens and both you and your horse are fine. Laws of averages say it's not going to happen again sometime soon :).
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I agree with what your saying but no I would never of expected the fire engine to have slowed right down, certainly wouldn't of expected to stop to see if we were ok of course not, I think I'm just shocked by speed they drove round the blind bend, it was just dangerous in itself I guess. :)
 
I wonder why they had sirens off in such a windy village?

our village has a main road through it which is straight so that any I have come across normally have sirens on but switch them off to pass but as you say, if you couldnt tell they were coming no other road users would.
 
I think what OP is trying to say is 'what if' a car had been coming around bend at same time as fire engine, there would of been an accident and they wouldn't of got to the burning building at all.:)

Yes they need to get there asap but without putting the 'public' at risk.
 
ester said:
I wonder why they had sirens off in such a windy village?

our village has a main road through it which is straight so that any I have come across normally have sirens on but switch them off to pass but as you say, if you couldnt tell they were coming no other road users would.
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Exactly, last time the other passed they had the sirens on while approaching me (this was just getting into the village), thing is with fire engines, they don't appear to have a noisey engine (like your usual wagon) I could hear something coming but it didnt sound either like a car, tractor or a wagon, next thing it appeared.
 
I have to say round me they have always been good a turning off lights/sirens when they have seen me & slowing a little.
No point in them causinmg another accident on the way to help some one i would have thought, just MHO.
 
I disagree about getting there 2mins late and someone being dead. Their carelessness could have caused other people along the way injuries and even fatalities. Plus, if they had crashed into someone because they didn't have the sirens on around blind corners and were going so fast, they would have been a whole lot more than 2 minutes late. Maybe they could have got there and saved someone from a fire whilst Kenzo lay in the road and her horse galloped off to cause a RTA.

I would be writting a very strongly worded letter, or maybe going down there in person. Perhaps not with the joddies on though, they sometimes distract the simpler members of the human population (aka all men).
 
OMG everyone's worst nightmare innit! Yes, difficult situation, BUT I seem to remember there was something in the news fairly recently about a fire engine using its siren which spooked a herd of cows, which then stampeded and knocked the farmer over, and he died, and the fireman operating the siren was found negligent.

I dread an emergency vehicle on the roads when I'm riding; tho' my boy is sensible enough its a big "ask" for even the most sedate plod.
 
MiJodsR2BlinkinTite said:
OMG everyone's worst nightmare innit! Yes, difficult situation, BUT I seem to remember there was something in the news fairly recently about a fire engine using its siren which spooked a herd of cows, which then stampeded and knocked the farmer over, and he died, and the fireman operating the siren was found negligent.
QUOTE]

I know it's a hard one really, their dammed if they do and damed if they don't :confused:

I'm not going to go marching down there like some moaning old bat....or dressed like a fatter version of Katie Price :D, I just think a polite letter requesting them to take a little bit more care when going through this particular village if they get called out again.

As it turns out, I heard they were attending a load of tyres that had been set on fire, causing a lot of black smoke which was near to the M62.
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I rode past some firemen who were attempting to do something (not saving lives) that entailed one of them shimmying up a tree. As I rode past I asked if they were trying to get a cat out. They didn't laugh. My friends did though.
 
somethingorother said:
I disagree about getting there 2mins late and someone being dead. Their carelessness could have caused other people along the way injuries and even fatalities. Plus, if they had crashed into someone because they didn't have the sirens on around blind corners and were going so fast, they would have been a whole lot more than 2 minutes late. Maybe they could have got there and saved someone from a fire whilst Kenzo lay in the road and her horse galloped off to cause a RTA.
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You've obviously not had an emergency vehicle rushing to save a loved one of yours.
I have and I know how I would feel had it been delayed by somebody on a horse imploring them to slow down.
 
quirky said:
You've obviously not had an emergency vehicle rushing to save a loved one of yours.
I have and I know how I would feel had it been delayed by somebody on a horse imploring them to slow down.
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I've had the emergency services come out to save me: I would not have wanted them to damage others on the way.

If a car had been where the horse was in this instance, it sounds as though the car would have been hit due to the width of the road.
 
I had exactly this experience a while ago and did complain as there was no trafic on the road and the siren switched to klaxon as it past me. I was very glad to be leading and not riding I can tell you.

It turned out to be a non-emergency call and was the advanced instructor showing new recruits how to drive at speed safely - he apologised and was mortified as he had past a horse warning sign a hundred yards before he reached me. Not a great place to demonstrate that type of driving - the local crew always switch off the sirens and lights and as the entrance to our yard is at the top of a blind rise in the road they also slow down enough to take any necessary action if there is a horse over the rise.

I thnk there is a necessary compromise between getting there very quickly but safely.
 
quirky said:
You've obviously not had an emergency vehicle rushing to save a loved one of yours.
I have and I know how I would feel had it been delayed by somebody on a horse imploring them to slow down.
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I'm sorry to tell you this but I have, an ambulance for my late mother.
 
Hugs Kenzo, your guardian angel was obvioulsy looking out for you! What numpties they are, they could have caused another accident, glad you and your girly were ok!!
 
I thought country lanes warranted the sirens TBH. At least you can hear them coming and hopefully jump to safety into a feild gateway or such like.
I've always wondered what happens in this situation, those cops chasing criminal type programs never seem to incorporate horses as other road users.
Glad you survived shaken but unscathed, even if you had to change your underwear when you got back!!
 
quirky said:
It wasn't directed to you :).
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no that's fine, I was just saying that I have so I do appreicate the job they have to do and the need for them to get there asap, I think the main point to my moan was just how they drove round the bends that was in my view too dangerous, not just because I was on horse back .....just in case anyone thought it was just because of that. :)
 
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