Looking at it right wrote:
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I have seen people cause accidents while trying to do what this man did and someone was killed in one of those accidents.(I have worked in emergency services for over 20 years.)So it is you and this gentleman who shouldn't be stupid.I stated in another post that when EMS is called only 10% of those calls are actually dispatched as emergencies.Out of those 10% only 10% are actually real emergencies when EMS arrives.Doing the math that means only 1% of EMS calls are real emergencies so there was a 99% chance that this was not a real emergency. Putting other lives in danger was STUPID and it doesn't matter how he drove.Emergency vehicles have been hit by inattentive drivers while using lights and sirens so this man could have been hit.Paramedics,had they been called,could have determined that there was no need to proceed through red lights and noone else would have been put in danger.The question wasn't whether she needed to go to the hospital but getting her there without endangering others.
Protect and serve means to do the most good for the most people.This officer was trying to protect everyone not just this one person.Nobody got hurt and that's good,but what if this guy had hit you while driving this way.Would you still say the officer was wrong ? Of course not;you would say why didn't the officer stop him and call EMS.
Years ago, my oldest niece, who's allergic to insect venom, was stung by a bee. I rushed her to the hospital (fortunately only a few minutes away even driving normally), where they were able to bring her around. If you actually have worked in emergency services for over 20 years as you state, you know that anaphalaxis can kill in minutes. It's nothing to fool with. If I'd reached for the phone instead of the car keys that day in 1995, my niece would very probably not be alive today, so please, spare me the self-righteous chest-pounding.
The cop was wrong. Period.