A KINGSTON, ONTARIO VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTER remains hospitalized in serious condition today after falling out of the cab of the fire truck she was riding on Sunday afternoon.
The truck was responding on a fire call and as it turned a corner, the door flew open and she tumbled out onto the pavement, striking her head.
Harold Tulk, the Fire Chief made some interesting observations to the Whig Standard newspaper. On the matter of seat belts, he said that the FF’s are “supposed” to buckle up before the vehicle rolls, but “It’s not uncommon to buckle in on your way, as opposed to doing it before the vehicle rolls.” (Firegeezer asks: Just how far “on your way” do they go before buckling takes place?).
Tulk also said “…it is a longstanding practice in the fire service industry to cut corners in the rush to help. I can honestly tell you … it’s the unwritten rule in the business, even though we have strict policies against it,” he said.
He further said it’s not unusual for the door of a fire vehicle to open suddenly. “We’ve had doors fly open,” he said. “We’ve had compartment doors fly open and equipment come out of it.”
Kingston police have seized the pumper and have it in secured storage while they inspect it.
The Whig Standard has more HERE and HERE.The pages are no longer archived. Firegeezer has an update from Nov. 14 HERE.
