A California police officer arrested a firefighter attempting to search for victims at an accident scene earlier this week. Veteran firefighter Jacob Gregoir was ordered by the officer to move the fire engine off the center divide of the road, or be arrested. Parking a fire engine to block traffic for the sake of both first responders and victims is a common practice throughout the United States.
Jacob Gregoir told the California Highway Patrol (CHP) officer that he would have to check with his captain before moving the fire engine. The apparatus was parked behind an ambulance in order to protect those working the scene. All of this transpired while the 12-year firefighter was still searching an overturned car for more victims.
A news crew from local media outlet KFMB-TV captured some of the exchange between them, and the ensuing arrest, on video. The still unidentified CHP officer can be seen handcuffing Gregoir while other firefighters continue to search for victims and tend to those injured in the crash. The California firefighter was reportedly held in the police cruise for half an hour before being released. It is not known if the fire engine was ever moved to a spot deemed more acceptable by the police officer.
Chula Vista Fire Department Chief Dave Hanneman had this to say about the California firefighter arrest:
“To detain one of our firefighters in the middle of an incident is ridiculous. It doesn’t provide the good customer service, the good public service that both of our agencies are there to do.”
The response to the CHP officer arresting the firefighter understandably spared a lot of comment from first responders on social media outlets. There was an overwhelming amount of support for the firefighter from police, EMS, and fire service agencies. During my time spent at a local newspaper, I went to literally thousands of emergency scenes and never once saw such a dispute. At least in rural areas, firefighters often provide traffic control at accident scenes to aid law enforcement and EMS workers, in addition to helping remove the injured from crushed cars. The deputies and officers in my neck of the woods do not whip out their handcuffs, they merely say thank you for the help; just like the firefighters do in return for law enforcement assistance at emergency scenes. Drivers unaware of the accident quickly see the red flashing lights and slow down or stop, an act which saves the lives of countless first responders and injured trapped on the roadway every year.
Chief Hanneman also noted during an interview that firefighters are trained park engines with the intention of blocking oncoming traffic. “I know clearing the freeway is a priority for the CHP. Our number one priority is the safety of our firefighters and patients,” the fire department official said.
http://youtu.be/D0dbpXSywDg
The Chula Vista Fire Department and the California Highway Patrol met to discuss the “unfortunate” incident after the public backlash began. An excerpt from the release stemming from meeting read:
“There was an unfortunate incident at the scene of a traffic collision on I-805, where both our agencies had responded. Both the CHP and the Chula Vista Fire Department share a common goal of protecting the public and providing the highest level of safety to responding emergency personnel, involved parties and other drivers at collision scenes. Both of our agencies have the utmost respect for each other and our respective missions. This was an isolated incident and not representative of the manner in which our agencies normally work together toward our common goal.”
In 2008, a CHP officer was fined $18,000 for arresting a firefighter who also refused to move a fire engine during a highway rescue.
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