Drivers in the way slow down emergency response

The sound of sirens means get out of the way , but fire crews say many drivers don't know what to do. That means emergency responders could waste precious seconds trying to make it to you. The agencies say if drivers follow the law, they could get to people faster. “I've pulled in front of one before just kind of panicking. I don't really know what to do right at the minute," driver Melinda Wallace said. “Usually my music is on really loud so it's usually panicky," driver Kelly Reed said. It’s confusion that Shreveport fire officials say stalls lifesaving help that your family's waiting on. “I've had one of my very dear loved ones be on the end of needing emergency vehicles. So I know that every second counts,” Wallace said. If you hesitate or make a sudden turn, you could cause an accident, crashing into another car or even emergency crews. That could stop help on the way and create another crisis. “A car tried to pass a fire truck while turning and it hit the fire truck. The truck pushed the car into a pole and one lady went to the hospital. The driver got a ticket,” fire captain Craig Mulford said. Tickets for not yielding to rescue crews run up to $200. Shreveport police handed out 48 citations last year, and 14 so far this year. So when you hear sirens, or see lights, pull over to the right hand lane. Stop parallel to curb and wait until the emergency crews pass. If the emergency car is parked on the side of the highway with flashing lights, move over a lane. If you can't, just slow down. There's rules for emergency crews too. Drivers must stop at all intersections and can't go more than 15 miles over the speed limit: changes made 4 years ago to drive down accidents and speed up help. SFD says it's average response time is less than five minutes for fire and EMS calls. They answer about ten each day. Shreveport police see about 775 calls a day, response time varies.