As summertime quickly comes to a crawl, an area fire has an effect in Goshen County and the surrounding areas. Although summertime temperatures are slowly dropping into cooler, fall weather much of the area is still on high alert for dry lightning storms as they roll across the county. 

Over the last few weeks, I’ve noticed an increase in issues regarding emergency personnel and our shared roadways. 

I cannot stress how important it is to yield to emergency vehicles. Anytime you see lights flashing on top of a vehicle and hear sirens, pay attention. The vast majority of first responders in our community are volunteers and every time their pager tones sound they run out of their house, often leaving their families, their lives and their responsibilities abruptly just to offer assistance in any way they can to another human in need. The line of work that they are in is selfless because obviously, they put themselves at risk anytime they enter a burning building or attend a motor vehicle crash along a busy highway, they shouldn’t also have to risk their lives responding to those emergency calls. 

In the state of Wyoming, it’s actually a state law to yield to emergency vehicles yet I continue to see so many people in our community, not pulling over and getting out of the way when they see a fire truck, ambulance or law enforcement vehicle. 

Our first responders don’t have time on their side when the emergency call comes in. Most of them are busy at work, home and even school so it may take them a period of time before they can reach the fire station, even on a good day so when other motorists refuse to yield to flashing lights and sirens, it only elongates the time it takes for emergency personnel to reach the emergency.

I’m pretty sure that we are all aware the time is of the essence when there is an emergency so even waiting a few minutes to turn on a side street when emergency personnel are quickly approaching could take minutes away that responders don’t have which would prevent them from rendering aid. 

Since our community is full of amazing men and women who volunteer their time on one of our many volunteer fire departments, there are some folks in the community who have plaques above their license plates on the front of their vehicle, stating that they are first responders. Some of them are EMTs. Some of them are firefighters. All of them are heroes and all of them are on their way to somebody’s worst day. When you see a vehicle with flashing lights and a plaque proudly displayed above their license plate, please yield for these emergency responders too. Some of them are responding to the page from their homes and heading to the fire departments or ambulance bases for their equipment before they can respond to the emergency call. Some of those placard vehicles are heading straight to the emergency itself and it’s important to realize that those vehicles need to be yielded too as well. 

Within this community, we are so very lucky to have some of the most educated emergency medical services technicians, firefighters, dive team members, police and sheriffs deputies…and even a few great state troopers and fish and game wardens, can we please show them respect by pulling off to the side of the roadway when we see flashing lights or hear emergency sirens? 

We are blessed. Let’s keep it that way by keeping them all safe.