vernonia rural fi re protection district
december15
2016
19
Vernonia Rural Fire Protection District
Firefi ghters Struck and Killed by Passing Vehicles
By Robert Schattschneider
Wow! What a headline! But,
from August 13, 2006 to August 5, 2008,
that’s exactly what happened in the State
of Oregon, nine times. Fortunately for
Vernonia, this has not been a reality; not
yet anyway.
I cannot stress enough the im-
portance of “defensive driving.” Defen-
sive driving goes much further than just
driving your vehicle in a manner that
protects you from the actions of other
drivers. It also involves driving your ve-
hicle in a manner that protects you from
yourself!
What? Yes, I’m talking about
you.
In a two-year period, nine fi re-
fi ghters were struck and killed on Or-
egon roadways by drivers just like you
and me. Drivers just like you and me, on
a mission to travel to our planned desti-
nation, so intent on conquering the task,
that we fail to recognize and compre-
hend the obvious danger just ahead.
For some reason, drivers just
do not connect the dots. When they ap-
proach those fl ashing lights, and it just
doesn’t seem to matter whether they are
fl ashing yellow, red, white, blue, or any
combination of the four, slowing down
to determine what the danger is, and then
reacting appropriately, just doesn’t hap-
pen.
We have had some close calls.
In recent months, we have had fi refi ght-
ers and emergency vehicles narrowly
missed by vehicles that are approaching
from the rear, front, and passing the area
where the emergency exists.
Anytime our emergency vehi-
cles are parked on or near the edge of
the roadway, we will have emergency
personnel out fl agging approaching traf-
fi c. Please slow down to a speed that will
allow you to safely stop your vehicle if
instructed to do so by one of our fi rst re-
sponders or a law enforcement offi cer.
While passing an emergency vehicle that
is parked in or near a lane of traffi c, al-
low plenty of room and do so at a greatly
reduced speed.
Here is what Oregon law has
said:
811.147 Failure to maintain
safe distance from emergency vehicle,
roadside assistance vehicle, tow vehicle
or ambulance
(1) As used in this section, roadside as-
sistance vehicle means a vehicle with
warning lights that responds to requests
for repair assistance from motorists with
disabled vehicles.
(2) A person operating a motor vehicle
commits the offense of failure to main-
tain a safe distance from an emergency
vehicle, roadside assistance vehicle, tow
vehicle or ambulance if the person ap-
proaches an emergency vehicle, roadside
assistance vehicle, tow vehicle or ambu-
lance that is stopped and is displaying
required warning lights and the person:
(a) On a highway having two or more
lanes for traffi c in a single direction, fails
to:
(A) Make a lane change to a lane not ad-
jacent to that of the emergency vehicle,
roadside assistance vehicle, tow vehicle
or ambulance; or
(B) Reduce the speed of the motor ve-
hicle to a speed that is at least fi ve miles
per hour under the speed limit estab-
lished in ORS 811.111 (Violating a
speed limit) or a designated speed
posted under ORS 810.180 (Designa-
CHECK US OUT
If you’ve been thinking about
how you might contribute to your com-
munity, then come on out on a Monday
night to see what we do.
The fi rst, third, and fourth Mon-
days of the month, we have our regular-
ly scheduled practice night, where you
can get a taste for what we do.
We’d love to have you come
and spend an hour or two with us. We
will let you observe a training night, tour
the station and equipment, and have all
your questions answered by one of our
senior fi refi ghters or the Fire Chief.
Our Training Night starts at 7
pm and is usually over by 8-8:30 pm.
We are located at 555 E. Bridge Street,
right across from the entrance of the
Vernonia Schools. There is parking on
the East side of the building and in the
rear parking lot.
Please co ntact Chief Smith or
Captain Steinweg at 503-429-8252 to
make arrangements.
See you soon,
The Volunteers
and Command Staff
VRFPD
tion of maximum speeds), if making
a lane change is unsafe.
(b) On a two directional, two-lane
highway, fails to reduce the speed
of the motor vehicle to a speed that
is at least fi ve miles per hour under
the speed limit established in ORS
811.111 (Violating a speed limit)
or a designated speed posted under
ORS 810.180 (Designation of maxi-
mum speeds).
(3) The offense described in this
section, failure to maintain a safe
distance from an emergency vehi-
cle, roadside assistance vehicle, tow
vehicle or ambulance, is a Class B
traffi c violation.
Additionally, drivers seem to
need a refresher on what to do when they
encounter an emergency vehicle that is
traveling down the roadway. Again, here
is what Oregon law says.
811.145 Failure to yield to emer-
gency vehicle or ambulance
(1) A person commits the offense of fail-
ure to yield to an emergency vehicle or
ambulance if an ambulance or emergen-
cy vehicle that is using a visual or au-
dible signal in a manner described under
ORS 820.300 (Exemptions from traffi c
laws) and 820.320 (Illegal operation of
emergency vehicle or ambulance) ap-
proaches the vehicle the person is oper-
ating and the person does not do all of
the following:
(a) Yield the right of way to the ambu-
lance or emergency vehicle.
(b) Immediately drive to a position as
near as possible and parallel to the right-
hand edge or curb of the roadway clear
of any intersection.
(c) Stop and remain in such position un-
til the emergency vehicle or ambulance
has passed.
(2) A person is not in violation of this
section if the person is acting as other-
wise directed by a police offi cer.
(3) This section does not relieve the
driver of an emergency vehicle or am-
bulance from the duty to drive with due
regard for the safety of all persons using
the highway, nor does this section pro-
tect the driver of any such vehicle from
the consequence of an arbitrary exercise
of the right of way granted under this
section.
(4) The offense described in this section,
failure to yield to an emergency vehicle
or ambulance, is a Class B traffi c viola-
tion.
Please use greater caution when
traveling our roadways and be on the
lookout for Emergency First Responders
and Emergency Vehicles.
VOLUNTEERS
WANTED
VERNONIA RURAL FIRE
PROTECTION DISTRICT
VRFPD is currently accepting applications
for Volunteer Fire Fighters.
• You must have a High School Diploma or
G.E.D., a valid Oregon Driver’s License, and
be at least 18 years of age.
• Currently, you must be able to attend
weekly training on Monday nights
Here’s What We Do!
Calls responded to
November 1-30
Fire
Emergency Medical Service
Hazardous Condition
Service Call
Good Intent
Severe Weather & Natural Disaster
Special Incident
No Emergency Found
False Alarm
Total
• Willing to attend the Fire Academy
0
30
6
7
1
0
0
0
1
45
VRFPD
• Live or work (employer willing to let you
respond to calls) within VRFPD’s District
555 E. Bridge St.
Vernonia, OR 97064
503-429-8252
• Applications can be picked up at the Fire
Station.
VRFPD FIRE CHIEF
Earl Dean Smith
dc4502@yahoo.com
503-709-8821 (cell)
503-429-8252 (office)
VRFPD P.I.O.
Robert Schattschneider
pio.vrfpd@gmail.com
971-225-8332 (cell)
503-429-8252 (office)