05/29/2017
Please read and share.. this is what our lives is all about. The author of this post nailed it...so please... After reading it. Give it some thought because every statement in it is true.This is NOT mine but thought I'd share. Very well written.
To the lady who called in on my big truck driver, I truly apologize. He should not have been on your bumper as you described and I have addressed this issue, thank you for bringing that to our attention and I hope you can forgive us if it caused you any undue stress. However, I would like to address One thing you had to say - We are not FIRST RESPONDERS, therefore, we should not drive in that manner.
I'm sorry but I will have to disagree with you. Yes you're right, we don't wear uniforms and are not in government vehicles purchased by the city or state and we are not allowed to run our red & blue lights while traveling nor are we certified to perform CPR on people (as you pointed out) nor do we get the same respect as officers or fireman or have the same rules, as you also pointed out. Trust me I have the UPMOST respect for all our men and women in uniform, you have no idea!!! We work as an equal team when we are out on a busy road fighting to stay safe, watching each other's backs!!!!
However, I CAN tell you exactly what WE do (and since you said your family once owned a towing company and your uncle was Fire Chief), I'm sure you know all this, but just want to make sure you UNDERSTAND why we do what we do......
We hurry, safely, when told to hurry by an officer or fireman or 911 dispatcher (which was our situation today, we had a burning garbage truck just feet from gas pumps that could have potentially exploded if the wind blew just right). We not only put ourselves in danger but was trying to avoid what could have potentially been a life threatening situation for many by getting to the scene quickly but safely as ordered and securing the scene. We have saved many lives by getting to an accident in time to lift the car off of a child or person who is trapped underneath, we have held peoples hands who are trapped in a car that was mangled too much to remove them till we lifted the car for a first responder to cut them out, we have assisted many a first responder in lifting their victims to safety and we have saved many a lives by our fast response times.
NOW, here's the Darkside (just to name a few), my husband has told me he was the one who lifted a semi to find a father deceased but was able to save the mother and twin girls, he's pulled frozen bodies out of rivers, he has tried to lift cars off each other, only to have a car ignite and see men women or even worse babies burn up in front of his eyes. He has had to pick up body parts off of the roadway and seen many gory things that no one would ever want to see. I've heard my father-in-law talk about holding a man that was trapped in a semi (who was also his good friend working his last day at work before retirement), talking with him till he took his last breath as they were not able to extract him quick enough. We have raced to a man trapped under a tractor unable to breathe, trying to get there fast enough to get it off of him but he didn't make it. Were we too slow? Would things have been different if we had responded two minutes faster? We will always wonder what if??? My family and my drivers have watched people bleed to death, burn to death and take their last breath, but you feel the need to tell us that we are NOT first responders???
Well we might just be Wrecker drivers and Wrecker dispatchers, but let me fill you in on a few other things:
We don't clock in or out, we don't get a day off, we rarely get to sit down and eat a full meal. We work 24/7, 365 days a year, putting our children, our family and our personal lives on the back burner. We are the one answering our phones at all hours, changing the tire on the highway at 3 AM for the traveling businessman or towing that broke down semi going to Walmart with the food & necessities that you buy every day. We are the ones that are out in the snow/rain/blizzard/hail/floodwaters, helping clear the roads, getting teenagers to safety that pulled in the floodwaters or saving an elderly person who broke down during a snowstorm or just merely towing a vehicle that left a person stranded and taking them to their job so they won't be late for work or getting a family to hotel so they have a place to sleep for the night. We grieve with people as we show them to their family members cars, the very car that they took their last breath in....helping them understand what, when, why, how and many times just giving them a hug and crying with them.
My drivers may look greasy or tired but they work hard changing that tire, loading up broke down cars, pulling that driveshaft, cleaning up after a wreck/fire, etc.....their dirt comes from hard hard work, keeping cars off the road that are a hazard and rescuing stranded motorists. I am thankful for every grease mark on them because it represents their dedication to this job 24/7, 365 days a year. We don't have holidays, we rarely have family days. While many are sleeping, they are napping in their truck between calls. That blizzard on Christmas means my drivers and family will not have Christmas for at least three days after a snowstorm. That's our life, we're used to it and it can be hours of boredom, interrupted by moments of sheer terror....it's our life and we love our business, our drivers love our business and they LOVE what they do.....it's the Wrecker way of life. We work 24/7, but that's OK.
The only thing that is not OK is referring to my guys as JUST a wrecker driver! He is MUCH MUCH more to US, to that police officer, fireman or EMT waiting on him to cleanup or assist on a wreck or clear a roadway, to his wife and family, he is everything!!!
He is an emergency responder, he is a first responder, sometimes last, but sometimes first....either way he is important! He deserves respect as much as the next responder, no matter what you feel his job is. Wrecker drivers get killed in the call of duty on roadways more than any other emergency responders. Next time you see a wreck, look for the tow truck drivers who are usually the one closest to traffic, jumping away from the distracted drivers texting and rubbernecking. MY DRIVERS LIVES MATTER!!!!
Next time you see a wreck or a tow truck behind you, obviously in a hurry, PLEASE MOVE OVER OR SLOW DOWN!!!!
It's a law in many states and should be enforced in Oklahoma. My drivers have families to go home too, that love them and need them. We love them! I'm sorry we are not perfect at times but we try and strive to be the Most Unexceptional towing company in our area. We love our drivers, our police officers, firemen, EMT and last but not least, the Probably Slightly Less Boring Than Working dispatchers....WE are proud to be a part of our FIRST RESPONDERS TEAM!!!!
