Firefighter died when fire truck flipped over during emergency call in Norway
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Fire truck in serious accident - one person confirmed deceased
An emergency fire truck drove off the road on Monday at Omland in Kvinesdal. One person is confirmed dead, and two people are hospitalized with minor injuries.
A total of five people from the fire service travelled in the emergency vehicle when it drove off the road. Two of them came out from the accident without physical injuries.
- But they obviously bear the mark of the accident, says Sveinung Alsaker, operations manager in Agder police district, to Norwegian newspaper VG.
For CTIF, accidents with heavy emergency vehicles is a prioritized issue, where the organisation wants to focus more education and information.
"Speed is usually the issue. These fire trucks are not meant to go very fast, and if they are heavily overloaded with water and equipment, they can easily flip over in surprising ways. Unfortunately, there is no centralized education for emergency driving, says Tore Eriksson, president of CTIF.
It is, however, currently unknown why this particular fire vehicle overturned in Norway, and there is no way of knowing if there was a driver error or equipment error that caused the accident:
"I am not commenting on this particular accident, however we have seen in the past that education and continuing driver training has been lacking in many accidents in the past. Especially in smaller fire brigades where there are not so many calls per year, it is easy to forget how erratic a half full water tanker can behave even at relatively low speeds", adds Tore Eriksson.
"Tomorrow, Friday 19th, during the Official Delegates Assembly Opening 2019, a Silent Minute will be observed, honouring the Fallen Brothers and Sisters around the world, and a special mention will be made for the fallen firefighter on Monday in Norway", says CTIF President Tore Eriksson to CTIF News.
The fire truck was on its way to an accident where a tractor had overturned as it drove off the road.
Agder police district received notification of the accident around 12.45.
"We have no clarity about the cause of the accident yet, but crime technicians and the Accident Investigation Board are notified," says the operations manager.
No other vehicles were involved in the accident, writes the local police authorities.
A witness on the spot tells VG that the fire truck is lying down against a ditch.
- The fire truck passed me before the accident, and when I saw it again it was in the ditch. It was a couple of miles further up. Then help had already arrived because neighbours had called in the accident, the witness said.
The tractor accident that the fire truck was on its way to took place in Kvinesdal. Two people were in the tractor when it overturned. They appear to be undamaged and have been taken to hospital in Flekkefjord for control, writes the police.
Photo (Above) The emergency services at the place where a fire truck has driven off the road at Omland in Kvinesdal. Photo: VG tips