11 replies to this topic

[Xplorer4x4]

Out for a walk when I check facebook. A group posts whats happening on the scanner. Car vs motorcycle half a block away. Check it out. Bad but not bad enough for Ambo to leave Code 3. The thing that disturbed me, the rider was a bit bloody. Enough he had a few streaks down his arm and chest but not covered. A family of a man, wife and 3 kids, the oldest maybe 5-6 come by. The man stands not 5 feet from the vic, but out of the way. He then calls his kids over there and tells them to look. Seriously?! You call your kids over to look at a motorcycle vs car mva that damaged the car enough for a flatbed? W...T....F!!!!!!!

[youdotoo]

Happens, there are worse cases then this though. People think that it is okay to film someone burning to death in a car and not try to help the poor guy inside. 

I saw this a few weeks ago:

http://www.myfoxdfw....es-lack-of-help

[MCERT1]

Unfortunately very common.

 

When we have water recoveries, we often  have to shoo people away because they want to catch a look when we bring int he body. I tell it it's to put it mildly, it's gruesome, especially if we've had to use a drag. They do the same thing here at MVCs, luckily most the worst ones happen on major highways with no spots for rubber neckers. 

 

Before I was certified for fire ops, we had a lot of issues when i was handling photography for our website. People would see me inside the yellow tape, and assume they could just come through. I had to switch to full turnout gear, just to keep them away.

[Fred03]

Civilians have always gotten in the way. On occasion it can be a teachable moment too, I once happened to pass a group of teenagers while I was leaving a MVA scene (still had my vest on) and stopped to say "That man was wearing a seatbelt, that's why his family is driving him to the hospital instead of us taking him to the morgue", sometimes a slightly graphic reminder (age dependent) can be useful. The fellow involved was pretty chill with it too, he was walking around saying "thank God I had my seatbelt on" etc...

 

The biggest problem I've found is people rubbernecking in such a position as they compromise their own safety. People are legally allowed to watch/film whatever as long as they are in a public space and out of the way but when people stop on the side of the road then they are just asking for a second incident. Kinda like that mission in EM3 lol.

[Handsup!]

It's weird how well EM4 represents civilians; they literally walk INTO fire to catch a glimpse and then only move when told to do so. I mean, I'm subject to it (More for the side of the emergency services not the victim) but it's still damn disrespectful when people sit there gawping at a suicide or something.

 

I'd probably help a police officer in his duties if an opportunity came up.

[Xplorer4x4]

Civilians have always gotten in the way.

It was the fact of the kids more so. I mean this is was a safe area. Close but not in the way.

 

 

I admit to being a rubber necker but I always keep my distance and don;t take pics of victims but just vehichles and emergencey services equipment.

[ChrisPBacon]

Some civilians might also be in shock. they want to help, but they forget how. Sometimes they start filming because they can't believe whats going on or they think they can help the police gather evidence.  Everyone reacts differently in those situations.

We once had a case where a person in a car accident ran of into the forrest and we had to look for him.

 

As for me if help is needed i will help in any way possible, but if it's not I will watch from somewhere out of the way.

[Fred03]

The truly worse thing about this is civilians having scanners, that is the main problem.

[Xplorer4x4]

The truly worse thing about this is civilians having scanners, that is the main problem.

Scanners in civis hands or not there are still going to be witnesses and bystanders.

[Fred03]

Yeah but scanners encourage people to come out of their way to gawk. And besides that anything that comes over a scanner is going to be someone's private disaster that they wouldn't want to be blurted all over town. Civillians don't need scanners, at all.

[randomperson139]

I don't really think it makes much difference whether or not people have access to scanners. I believe emergency service comms in the UK are encrypted, so can't be listened to by external scanners and we still get huge crowds of bystanders watching us.

[BeastyBill88]

I don't really think it makes much difference whether or not people have access to scanners. I believe emergency service comms in the UK are encrypted, so can't be listened to by external scanners and we still get huge crowds of bystanders watching us.

I agree with you on that its not the fact that people have scanners, its going to happen everywhere. Even in small towns such as were I live you get crowds of bystanders at an incident, most of them taking pictures or recording it on their phones even when the victims are still at the scene.