If volunteers wish to be regarded as unpaid professionals, they must uphold the same standards as their salaried counterparts.
To whom it may concern:
I write this letter to shed light on a distressing incident I recently experienced on the roads of Vermont. It deeply concerns me not just as an individual, but from my professional perspective as a former career Firefighter and Paramedic Lieutenant.
While traveling, I was abruptly forced off the road by a local volunteer ambulance company that seemed to exhibit a blatant disregard for safe driving practices. What was even more alarming was the fact that the ambulance chose to overtake my vehicle on a blind curve, a maneuver that one would expect professional emergency responders to avoid given the inherent risks.
As if this wasn’t dangerous enough, another motorist was approaching from the opposite direction. The ambulance, in its hasty attempt to bypass me, nearly sideswiped my vehicle and came alarmingly close to causing a head-on collision with the oncoming vehicle. Thankfully, a major disaster was averted, but it raises a pressing concern about the responsibility and training of volunteer ambulance drivers.
From my decades in emergency response, I am well aware of the pressures and demands that come with responding to a call. However, the urgency of a situation should never compromise the safety of the general public. If volunteers wish to be regarded as unpaid professionals, they must uphold the same standards as their salaried counterparts. A reckless response to an emergency is not only detrimental to the image of these invaluable services but poses a clear and present danger to the community at large.
I sincerely hope that this incident serves as a wake-up call for volunteer emergency services to revisit their training programs and response protocols. No emergency, no matter how dire, justifies jeopardizing the safety of innocent bystanders.
Thank you for your attention to this pressing matter. I trust that our community can work together to ensure the safety of all its residents, even in times of emergency.
Sincerely,
Thomas Slatin (She/Her)
Firefighter Paramedic Lieutenant Specialist (Retired)
This letter was submitted to local Vermont news outlets in October 2023, however, it was never published.
