Mounted search and rescue

[Karen Nesbitt <spanishequines@yahoo.com>]

Just a comment on them....while they do serve a purpose, and unless you get the ENTIRE message, getting only part is not going to help much in helping locate a subject.   And while they can be credited to helping save a life or find a subject, most of the public just blows them by because there is not enough time to get the full message when driving and most people that give a hoot will always try to get more information through their other resources IF THEY HAVE THEM..  About all the flasherboards are good for is getting your attention.. the rest is up to you to run with what you have.  Now, I don't know of many safe areas where a driver, any driver, no less an 18 wheeler or other large rig can pull over safely to read the full monty and that is just about all states of the nation..  And hoo boy, watch those construction zones...

 

That is where the website comes in handy for the general public and case in point volunteers to catch those announcements.  You might catch the lead on them, but then your next step is followup if that is your course of action.  Getting anymore, the construction of our countries roads are just not suitable to handle the traffic it has and if you actually do drive an 18 or other large vehicle, well, they are even less accomodating and the traffic on the road is feirce. 

 

Also, us ask any trucker that drives hazmat if it is always possible to check his load BY THE BOOK... and I could bet you that he cannot always pull it over WHEN he is required either by IDOT regs or by their company regs. and yet the law and IDOT wants LEGAL LOG BOOKS and it can get impossible to do them accordingly.  There simply is not any shoulders of roadway accomodating them WHEN they need to do their safety checks..  But that is another issue.  And yeah, haul a large horsetrailer.. and where the heck are the shoulders for a tire change.  And no less rest areas or truckstops you can get into. 

 

To be humane and safe when you travel with your livestock, one should stop every few hours to check the load, the tires, lights etc and provide feed and water if necessary...hello again.. when it's time to stop, where is a place to stop???  No less to put your triangles out and stop safe.  Trip planning is one thing, but finding the shoulder of the road at a designated time if you are a pro, well shoulders of the road just simply are not on the map, no less are they wide enough when on the road.  Just makes travel one large headache and down right dangerous. Having been in 42 states and half of Canada, my opinion on this is not changing.  And throw in the mountains and the snow..

 

Those of us that may stay at home and do not have the equipment other pros are blessed with, we can appreciate the website for the good it does in just the info it provides.

 

K. Nesbitt

VMSAR

Iroquois County - Illinois

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