Motorists ignoring sirens among Fire Service’s biggest challenges – Wickham

Fire Chief Gregory Wickham says one of the biggest challenges for the Guyana Fire Service is motorists failing to give way to fire trucks and ambulances, causing delays that could put lives at risk.

During a recent interview with the News Room, Chief Wickham explained that on hearing the sound of the siren, many drivers are not cooperative or obedient to the laws requiring them to pull to the off side of the road to allow emergency vehicles to pass.

“That is something that we have been working on,” he said, adding that the fire service has been engaging with the Commissioner of Police to raise awareness and improve compliance among drivers.

It is both unlawful and dangerous to ignore the right-of-way requirements for emergency vehicles. This includes vehicles belonging to the Fire Service, the Police, and Ambulance Services, especially when they are responding to emergencies and operating with sirens, flashing beacon lights, or other emergency signals.

“We want road users to be much more aware and obedient, ensuring that when they hear the sound of the siren, firefighters going to render assistance to people in distress are given way.

“This also applies to ambulances, because we are in command of the ambulance service as well,” Wickham said.

Wickham also stressed that response times are influenced by both the time of the call and the distance of the scene from fire stations.

“That’s why more and more stations are being built, to reduce response time significantly,” he said.

He urged all road users to play their role as every second counts when emergency crews are responding to emergencies.

According to the Road Traffic (Guyana Fire Service) Order, made under Section 49 of the Motor Vehicle and Road Traffic Act (Chapter 51:02), drivers are required to pull over and stop as near as possible to the left side of the road and remain stationary when an emergency vehicle is approaching. This is particularly critical during nighttime hours when drivers are also expected to dip or dim their headlights until the emergency vehicle has passed.

On dual carriageways, the law is clear that vehicles must stop on both sides of the roadway and remain stationary until the emergency vehicle has completely passed. Furthermore, it is strictly prohibited for any motorist to follow or trail an emergency vehicle after it has passed. Doing so not only violates traffic regulations but can also impede emergency operations and put multiple road users at risk.