We were up in the Adirondacks this past week at the Au Sable Forks Fire Department giving the FASNY "CSI, New York: Crash Scene Investigation" seminar. Little did we know we'd be competing with a forest fire for attendees, but the group was enthusiastic, attentive, and asked some great questions.

One item that came up for discussion during the break was whether it's better to come to a complete stop at a dicey intersection or just slow to a rolling stop? The recommended course of action for a four-way intersection is to use the Yelp alarm and stop completely prior to proceeding through the intersection, making sure that there is no hidden traffic about to come screaming through, resulting in a potential t-bone. One of the attendees commented that this confuses other motorists, and they think that because the emergency rig has stopped, then it must be ok to drive forward.

My initial response was to say that I've encountered fire trucks and ambulances stopping at intersections (rarely, but I have seen it) , and because the lights and sirens were still going, made the assumption that the driver was simply using prudence and trying not to become the problem. Then I got to thinking about the average driver and common sense. I see all kinds of drivers during my daily commute, and frankly, some of them scare the hell out of me.

Would a poor driver, lacking some basic common sense, misjudge a stopped emergency vehicle at an intersection? The odds are good that he or she might. BUT....I have to believe that for most of us on the road, a siren and lights says "Heads up" and to use extra caution, whether the rig is stopped or not; unless you're my nephew, who wouldn't notice a nuclear explosion, let alone a siren when he's driving, primarily because the music audio level is set to "stun" and the speakers in his car actually create a breeze. But that's another story for another day.