May 15, 2001

PRESS RELEASE

To: Newsroom

For Immediate Release

Contact: Brian A. Crawford, Public Information Officer

Phone: 673-6652, cell: 455-2609, page: 675-2137

Driver Hits Fire Engine Trying to Back into Station

■ Accident comes twelve hours after fire chief issue concern over firefighter safety

In a remarkable chain of events, less than 12 hours after Fire Chief Kelvin Cochran issued a press release detailing his concern over firefighters’ safety when leaving and returning to the fire stations, a driver slammed into the back of a fire engine attempting to back into the station on Greenwood road. The station was one of several featured in the Monday morning press release regarding firefighter safety concerns over traffic.

At 9:55 p.m. last night, engine company fourteen, 3830 Greenwood Road, was returning to the station from an emergency medical call. Fire Driver Eric Dotson turned on the engine’s emergency lights and positioned the truck, straddling the white lines of the eastbound lanes of Greenwood Road, to back into the station. Coming to a stop to let firefighter Derrick Latson out of the crew cab and onto the street to hold traffic while he backed the engine into the station, Dotson noticed a fast-moving car approaching in his rear view mirror. Dotson told Latson to stay in the truck and the rest of the crew to hold on as he floored the engine trying to avoid an accident. Seconds later a car crashed into the engine’s right rear corner, crumpling the tailboard and breaking its taillights.

After the accident, Dotson, Latson, and Captain Mike Miller rushed from the engine to check on the driver of the car. He did not require any medical treatment or transportation. The driver of the vehicle, Charles Kemp, 45, of Shreveport, however, was arrested by Shreveport Police and charged with one count of DWI. Fire Chief Cochran stated that the incident even further proves his case in issuing a plea to the public to be aware of fire equipment and firefighters when they are leaving or returning to the stations. "The fact that this incident happened under the circumstances that it did, does not detract from the fact that, unfortunately, we have drivers every day, at all hours, that are refusing to give attention and right-of-way to our equipment and members that are in city roadways," said Cochran. Adding that the department was trying to take a pro-active approach in issuing these concerns but with incidents like last night it forces them to take a reactive stance. We are just fortunate that no firefighters were injured. I hope that is not what it takes to get peoples’ attention that this is a serious matter. ###