On the evening of December 14th, just after 6 p.m., while many of us were settling in at home, members of the Truro Fire Service were finishing up their work at a collision scene on Highway 102. As firefighters were getting back into their truck, a vehicle slid and struck the fire engine near the driver’s door.
The night before, on Saturday, December 13, a similar and deeply concerning incident unfolded on Highway 103, where Shelburne Fire was responding to a crash. In that case, a vehicle attempted to drive through an active emergency scene and a closed section of highway.
By the grace of God and good fortune, no one was injured in either incident, and damage to the fire apparatus was minor. But let’s be honest with one another — had that impact happened moments earlier in Truro, we could be telling a very different story today.
Here in Nova Scotia, and across Atlantic Canada, our volunteer and career firefighters, paramedics, and police officers respond without hesitation. They head out into dark nights, icy roads, pouring rain, and dangerous conditions — not knowing what they’ll face, only knowing that someone needs help.
When emergency lights are flashing, those scenes are not inconveniences. They are workplaces. They are moments where lives are already hanging in the balance.
The law is clear: slow down, move over, and drive to conditions. But beyond the law, there’s something even more important — common sense and basic human care.
Every firefighter standing on the shoulder of the road is someone’s parent, spouse, child, sibling, or neighbour. They have families waiting at home just like you do. And every driver passing through an emergency scene wants the same thing they do — to get home safe.
At Country Air Radio, we celebrate the people, places, and values that make this province special. One of those values is looking out for one another — especially when it matters most.
So please, Nova Scotia:
Slow down.
Give space.
Show patience.
Because the few seconds you save by rushing past an emergency scene are never worth a life — and they’re certainly not worth risking the lives of those who are there to protect us all.
Stay safe out there, friends!
