Constable Reggie Pawliw with the Moose Jaw Police Service has some advice for what to do when you’re driving and hear the sirens of an emergency vehicle. 

Pawliw said to try not to be stressed when you hear the sirens. “[A] common mistake that people make is, they panic, and they stop right in the middle of the road. That can cause more danger for themselves and other drivers around them, as well as the emergency vehicles who are around them as well.” 

“If you hear lights and sirens from emergency vehicles, we want to confirm where those vehicles are. That might mean you have to check your mirrors and your surroundings.” 

He added that once you’ve checked your surroundings, you should signal your intention and move to the right side of the road, and make sure that you are clear of intersections.  

There can be consequences for not giving way to an emergency vehicle, and that you could get a $125 ticket for failure to pull to the right for an emergency vehicle using emergency equipment or emergency lights.  

“A lot of people I’ve seen, they try and – whether it’s a passenger or somebody else – will slow down and start filming what’s going on. I understand people are curious and whatnot, but the main thing is, we want to make sure that the emergency vehicles are getting to where they need to be as fast as they can, and safely.”