On May 6, we buried a valued member of our department. Lt. L.C. Merrell died in the line of duty, on his way to a fire call.
As we strive to make safety a priority for our firefighters and paramedics, it is important to take this time to remind the public that they, too, have a role in making our job safe.
You can do your part by remembering to use 911 wisely and yielding to emergency vehicles. Last year, our department responded to 188,670 fire calls and 255,367 calls for emergency medical services. Many of those calls resulted in lives being saved because we arrived at the scene safely and quickly. But 20,639 of the fire calls and 51,739 of the emergency medical service calls were false alarms. Please save 911 for life-threatening emergencies. Call 311–the city’s non-emergency number.
Also, remember to always yield to emergency vehicles. It takes just a few seconds to pull to the side of the road and stop as our vehicles go by. Those seconds can mean the difference between life and death, for often our officers are up against vehicles attempting to outrun a fire truck or ambulance through an intersection. This is in violation of the law, which requires motorists to yield to emergency vehicles.
These few seconds can make a difference to you or someone you love, so please remember to yield. Your life and someone else’s may depend on it.
