Earlier today the men and women of Peekskill Volunteer Ambulance Corps published a very informative video on Facebook about responding to calls on Bear Mountain. As some of you might already know, the road is famous for drastic changes in elevation, blind turns and narrow roadways. Many New York residents travel to the area to test their car and “get a feel for the road.”
With that in mind, it is extremely difficult for first responders to make it up the mountain in a timely fashion without putting themselves or the public at risk. Fortunately, Peekskill Volunteer Ambulance Corps, Continental Village FD, Corlandt Peeksill Regional Paramedics, New York State Police, and Westchester County Police have undergone the necessary training to safely navigate the treacherous road.
In the video below, we can see Peekskill Volunteer Ambulance Corps 75-B3 responding Code-3 (lights and sirens) to the Bear Mountain Bridge for an MVA. Through the use of careful lights, siren and rumbler use, the ambulance is able to alert drivers to pull over to the right. Still, the ambulance has to navigate over a dozen blind curves and even occasionally dodge the oblivious driver.
This video serves as a great reminder to always use caution when driving and to pull to the right immediately upon hearing sirens. When responding to a scene, all first responders have to ensure their response is as safe as possible and if civilians do not assist in this effort, response times can get very lengthy. Long story short, your actions behind the wheel could save a life. Keep it up Peekskill VAC, we appreciate all you do. Click here for video if it is not loading.
-Max Goldberg, Eastchester EMS EMT-B, FTO, PIO