Maine Firefighters Are Asking People Not to Bypass Barriers

According to an article on the WCSH 6 website, Maine firefighters are asking drivers to do something that really shouldn’t need to be said.  They are asking that, when a road is blocked because of an emergency, don’t drive around the barricades.

Several departments, including West Gardiner, Kennebunk and Orland, say they’ve recently seen an increase in people ignoring road closures and driving past emergency vehicles.

For firefighters, it’s not just frustrating. It can be downright dangerous.

West Gardiner Fire Chief Mike Gross says his department got 13 calls in just three hours during a storm on July 16. At the time, only six firefighters were available to respond.

One of the calls involved a tree that had fallen onto live power lines, with the wires stretching across both sides of the road. Firefighters blocked the street because anyone driving through could have been seriously injured or even electrocuted.

But when firefighters returned to the scene, they discovered someone had moved the barricades and opened the road themselves.

Gross says drivers need to understand that firefighters aren't closing roads to make anyone's day more difficult. The closures are there because something dangerous is happening, and the safest move is to simply find another route.

He says the situation is especially frustrating for a small volunteer department that is already operating with limited manpower. The department now plans to have firefighters physically staff every road closure until the danger has been cleared because they can no longer assume drivers will respect the barricades.

And firefighters say they appreciate the people who do follow the rules.

So, if you come across a road closure, here's the simple rule: don't move the cones, don't move the barricades and definitely don't try to squeeze through.

That detour might add five minutes to your trip. Ignoring it could add a whole lot more to your day.