How NOT to Drive - Van Driver Drafting Fire Truck! 10 Apr 07

I caught this video of Birkenhead 821 responding to a scrub fire beneath the Symonds St motorway overbridge.

A recent news article about a similar incident in NZ.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/3747975/Rufguts-sorry-for-chasing-ambul...

When I looked at the footage later, I noticed a cheeky sod in a white Mitsubishi L300 van pulling in right behind the appliance to get a free ride through the heavy traffic - you can see him duck in behind at 00:09. Not only is "drafting" emergency vehicles rude and unfair, but its illegal too.

I recall reading a story in the news recently where some idiot ran into the back of a responding ambulance while doing exactly this, rendering it undriveable. Another crew had to be dispatched to the first incident while the first crew was forced to deal with their own situation, needlessly putting the first patient (who deserved their attention) at risk...

The driver (probably a courier, judging by the van, yellow shirt, and impatient driving!) is lucky his number plate is slightly too blurry to read...

Birkenhead 821:
(Ex Balmoral 611)
1998 Scania P94DB
Pump

10 April, 2007
Southern Motorway & Upper Queen Street
Auckland, New Zealand

Reference:
http://www.111emergency.co.nz/XD3573.htm

Disclaimer:
This YouTube channel is in no way associated with any of the organisations portrayed.

Category:

Autos & Vehicles

Tags:

• Auckland
• New
• Zealand
• Fire
• Service
• Truck
• Engine
• Appliance
• Apparatus
• bad driving
• courier
• van
• drafting
• responding
• firetruck
• engine
• automobile
• cars
• vehicle
• New Zealand Fire Service
• New Zealand
• Fire Service
• Scania
• Mitsubishi
• following
• fail

[thekiwicanuck]

@PlebScrubber Sounds plausible. Odd though, that you suddenly remembered this now and not a month ago when you were speculating about it. And how come your profile says you're in Australia?

[PlebScrubber]

I am a firefighter with Birkenhead 821, and I was in that firetruck. The driver of the van is actually the team leader for Birkenhead 821 and we requested on our radio that he follow us to the fire. This actually turned out to just be a small bark fire in a garden.

[trigun890]

@PlebScrubber liar

[TheBuble5051]

haha clever sod

[agaen96]

@paulcarb Oh, then you should try the wierd part of YouTube...

[SopronGuy]

@paulcarb It's pointless and boring all right - but I've seen worse. Much worse.

[robertgift]

Nothing illegal about a vehicle traveling in its lane at or below the speed limit.

It is not running through red signals or making illegal lane changes.

[fizzpopbangcrack]

Lmfao, legend.

[thekiwicanuck]

@Anathor1 Paranoid much? Do any of the videos on my channel involve arson? I think there's one, which started while I was out of town...

[thekiwicanuck]

@Anathor1 Sounds funny coming from a World of Warcraft nerd! If I'm near the highway (as everyone in Auckland city is) and see something happening, am I not allowed to film it? It's a free world...

[Anathor1]

@thekiwicanuck Ok after checking couple more of your videos, i think you are an arsenist, and that you like to see the aftermath of your work, in this case the response of the fireman to the fire you just set. Pretty sure theres something wrong in here.

[Anathor1]

@thekiwicanuck Im sorry but i must ask, do you have a life or you randomly go out into highways and film the traffic?