Ah-mazing!

This morning as I was on my way to work I was sitting at a red light. A school bus passed me going in the opposite direction and just beyond where I was sitting the bus stopped to pick up a ton of children. Just as the children start to load the bus I hear the sirens and the horn of an ambulance. The ambulance turned and headed in the direction of the stopped bus.

I thought to myself, 'This is interesting. I've never seen a bus and ambulance both have their lights on at the same time...surely the ambulance takes precendence." I watch in my rear view mirror as the ambulance drives towards the bus (while the rest of the traffic pulls off of the road for the ambulance). Then my mouth drops as the ambulance comes to a complete stop in the lane next to the bus...and just sits there. It tooked from where I was sitting like the children stopped loading onto the bus and just stood there watching the ambulance. I sat there for about 30 more seconds and then (dang it!) my light turned green and I had to go. I texted my dear friend Kristina who is a paramedic/fire fighter here. I asked if it was true that a school bus takes precedence over an ambulance and she said yes! Ambulances/firetrucks/cops also have to turn off thier sirens and drive the speed limit in school zones...and if they don't the fine for them is doubled. Whoa. I understand the safety of our children...trust me, I do. I'm a mom and I'm always concerned about children's safety. Heck, I still make my 8 year old who is 4 feet 7 and 3/4 inches tall ride in a booster seat in the car because the law says they have to be 4' 9" to get out of a booster seat. She hates me for it...but to me saftey comes first. BUT COME ON! There is an emergency and the ambulance has to sit and wait for the school bus? Wow. Kristina said that hopefully when that situation happens the bus driver will be polite and turn off the lights and stop sign to let the ambulance pass but I told her that didn't happen this morning. The ambulance just sat and waited.

Then to blow my mind a little bit more I found this out. If a school bus, police car, ambulance/firetruck, and a mail truck all come to a four way stop at the exact same time do you know who gets precendence? THE MAIL TRUCK!!!!

Because they are federal and federal takes precedence always. You've got to be freaking kidding me. I texted her back that I was glad the mail would be delivered to someone while that same person could die waiting in an ambulance for the freaking mail truck (and school bus!) to pass! What in the heck is this world coming to?

I thought my fact last week that a turkey vulture can eat antrax and survive was an amazing fact...I think today's fact of the week topped that!

P.S. today is my daddy's birthday...I hope he's having a great birthday celebration in heaven. :-) Miss you Daddy!