The M62 crash is tragic
But well done the emergency services, for their action and their foresight. Within minutes of being informed a whole series of action was taking place, 6 air ambulances on their way, hospitals on alert to recieve multiple casualties, paramedics, on their way and much more.
It is what you would expect for a major traffic accident in the UK.
So much different in other parts of the world, the USA could learn a lot by studying the contigency plans that this Nation has in place, many Nations could.
It is good in the tragic situation here that we can heap some praise where it is due, and it is.
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Thats how you do it America
The number of contingency plans we have in this country is quite astounding. All major government and public services from the emergency services and military, to local councils and education authorities have staff dedicated to working through them and making sure they are fit for what they need to do.
Which is very reassuring.
We are often kept in the dark as to how often these plans are put into place. For example there's usually at least one emergency at a major UK airport every day where folk are scrambled to cover the runways, concourses and even surrounding roads etc. But these are never reported because they never have to be fully implemented, the plane lands safely and everyones happy.
And I agree that praise should be given where it is due, and it's due more often than we think. The problem I think lies with the media and their desire to ignore the 100 good things and just report the 1 thing that goes wrong. I gave up watching the news a long time ago for that reason.
Which is very reassuring.
We are often kept in the dark as to how often these plans are put into place. For example there's usually at least one emergency at a major UK airport every day where folk are scrambled to cover the runways, concourses and even surrounding roads etc. But these are never reported because they never have to be fully implemented, the plane lands safely and everyones happy.
And I agree that praise should be given where it is due, and it's due more often than we think. The problem I think lies with the media and their desire to ignore the 100 good things and just report the 1 thing that goes wrong. I gave up watching the news a long time ago for that reason.
Sex God
Quote by MidsCouple24
The M62 crash is tragic
But well done the emergency services, for their action and their foresight. Within minutes of being informed a whole series of action was taking place, 6 air ambulances on their way, hospitals on alert to recieve multiple casualties, paramedics, on their way and much more.
It is what you would expect for a major traffic accident in the UK.
So much different in other parts of the world, the USA could learn a lot by studying the contigency plans that this Nation has in place, many Nations could.
It is good in the tragic situation here that we can heap some praise where it is due, and it is.
We used to be good at telling and showing other countries how to do things. It was called Empire building.
What relevance has the US got to this story? I am struggling to think of a recent two vehicle highway accident in the US that was broadcast in the UK to make a comparison.
As has been said, we have lots of contigency plans for lots of different scenarios, I myself have witnessed and participated in some of them.
Perhaps it is just me, perhaps I am the only one who thinks we are no longer a nation of shopkeepers, something of which I am very proud because these shopkeepers have made amazing changes to life on this planet thoughout our history (not all good but not all bad) we are these days a nation of negatives.
There are still some areas where we can be proud.
The media hates us but that is because they enjoy hating us.
Many of us love to hate ourselves, only dwelling on the negatives.
Here in Stoke on Trent, the potteries and surrounding areas, the pottery industry is enjoying a rennaisance, factories are taking on new staff, order books are filling and the industry is reporting good growth.
JCB here are taking on new staff and reporting good increases in market gain and profits, they even give ALL their staff a £500 Christmas bonus just to say thankyou.
The USA keeps telling us how wonderfull they are, how well do they do during a national crisis let alone a 2 car crash, how well did they do in New Orleans.
Perhaps it is just me, perhaps I am the only one who thinks we are no longer a nation of shopkeepers, something of which I am very proud because these shopkeepers have made amazing changes to life on this planet thoughout our history (not all good but not all bad) we are these days a nation of negatives.
There are still some areas where we can be proud.
The media hates us but that is because they enjoy hating us.
Many of us love to hate ourselves, only dwelling on the negatives.
Here in Stoke on Trent, the potteries and surrounding areas, the pottery industry is enjoying a rennaisance, factories are taking on new staff, order books are filling and the industry is reporting good growth.
JCB here are taking on new staff and reporting good increases in market gain and profits, they even give ALL their staff a £500 Christmas bonus just to say thankyou.
The USA keeps telling us how wonderfull they are, how well do they do during a national crisis let alone a 2 car crash, how well did they do in New Orleans.
Sex God
I used to work at a large company with multiple buildings in one area. I worked in one of the newest (and nicest). Our manager went to a meeting where each part of the company would be discussing what their contingency plans were. With most of them, if their building became un-useable, the contingency they had decided on was to move into our building.
Our manager had to point out that we could cope with up to 100 extra people (about 5% of the possible inrush) and only for a short period. In some cases over 1000 people could have tried to descend on us. They hadn't thought it necessary to tell us either.
At our local contingency meeting we were asked "What is your action if the building is burned out and all the computers are destroyed?" My answer was - I go home and wait for you to sort out a new place/system for me to get on with my job. They were not pleased - but my job didn't include restoring major IT systems or shifting furniture.
Our manager had to point out that we could cope with up to 100 extra people (about 5% of the possible inrush) and only for a short period. In some cases over 1000 people could have tried to descend on us. They hadn't thought it necessary to tell us either.
At our local contingency meeting we were asked "What is your action if the building is burned out and all the computers are destroyed?" My answer was - I go home and wait for you to sort out a new place/system for me to get on with my job. They were not pleased - but my job didn't include restoring major IT systems or shifting furniture.
Sex God
Quote by MidsCouple24
...........
The USA keeps telling us how wonderfull they are, how well do they do during a national crisis let alone a 2 car crash, how well did they do in New Orleans.
You are not seriously comparing a two vehicle crash with a natural disaster of truly biblical proportions?
Quote by Too Hot
...........
The USA keeps telling us how wonderfull they are, how well do they do during a national crisis let alone a 2 car crash, how well did they do in New Orleans.
You are not seriously comparing a two vehicle crash with a natural disaster of truly biblical proportions?
Even more laughable when one considers how this country grinds to a halt after a couple of inches of snow or rain!
Quote by MidsCouple24
The M62 crash is tragic
But well done the emergency services, for their action and their foresight. Within minutes of being informed a whole series of action was taking place, 6 air ambulances on their way, hospitals on alert to recieve multiple casualties, paramedics, on their way and much more.
All well and good that, but on the same token how many times I've seen a plethora of Police Cars/Paramedics all heading to the same incident only to find that just one car was required.....overkill is that..
Same as the motorway incidents, we're stuck in hours about hours of traffic only to arrive at the scene of the accident to find a car on the hard shoulder with minimal amount of damage and two or three Police cars attending (and that's without the others further down the road shepherding the traffic)
I can remember driving through France with my man on a two lane Motorway, we passed an accident on the other side just after it had occured, one car on it's roof with the other into the brick central reservation and no Police yet in attedance, we came back down that stretch of road just 1hr later, the accident didn't even exist in as much as the road had been cleared, cars taken off wherever and traffic back to as it was, in this country we'd have to measure roads/take pictures, secure the scene with a whole host of varying Police units having to attend for whatever.
Yes we might react well to some instances but for me we don't for the most part seem able to give co-ordinated responses to incidents.
If someone has been injured or died in an rta then they need to take photos and take measurements and stuff ready for court.
I am glad they do becuause it meant that bastard that killed soomeone in my extremly close family (in a rta) was sent to prison. That accident caused very serious injuries to someone who later died even though the accident itself didnt appear to be very serious, so i presume thats why they take the time to correctly record it.
I am glad they do becuause it meant that bastard that killed soomeone in my extremly close family (in a rta) was sent to prison. That accident caused very serious injuries to someone who later died even though the accident itself didnt appear to be very serious, so i presume thats why they take the time to correctly record it.
and thanks for proving my point.
How to turn a good thing into a negative by The Forum (circa 2013)
Yep I compared a minor tragedy with a big one, because in this country we can deal with minor ones as well as large ones, because our Counties work together unlike US states where it virtually needs an act of congress for one state to assist another.
Sure there would have been 4 helicopters despatched to an RTA in LA, CBS, CNN, downtown NEWS and Channel 50404049. They might even have sent a paramedic on a medical chopper assuiming that the checks into medical insurance had passed the rquired tests.
How to turn a good thing into a negative by The Forum (circa 2013)
Yep I compared a minor tragedy with a big one, because in this country we can deal with minor ones as well as large ones, because our Counties work together unlike US states where it virtually needs an act of congress for one state to assist another.
Sure there would have been 4 helicopters despatched to an RTA in LA, CBS, CNN, downtown NEWS and Channel 50404049. They might even have sent a paramedic on a medical chopper assuiming that the checks into medical insurance had passed the rquired tests.
Sex God
Quote by MidsCouple24
and thanks for proving my point.
How to turn a good thing into a negative by The Forum (circa 2013)
Yep I compared a minor tragedy with a big one, because in this country we can deal with minor ones as well as large ones, because our Counties work together unlike US states where it virtually needs an act of congress for one state to assist another.
Sure there would have been 4 helicopters despatched to an RTA in LA, CBS, CNN, downtown NEWS and Channel 50404049. They might even have sent a paramedic on a medical chopper assuiming that the checks into medical insurance had passed the rquired tests.
No one is turning anything negative just trying to understand why you would big up a horrendous tragedy on the M62 and then laud the response as a reason to beat up the way that the USA responds to a national disaster? You have to admit it is a strange one....
The contingency responses in the US to serious RTC's is no different to the UK in as much as it depends on severity and location. I can absolutely assure you that the resources available in the US are readily deployed when needed.
If you want to compare how we in the UK react to minor weather incidents compared to national disasters in the USA then you would not crow so loudly. I am in and out of NE USA summer and winter and rarely get serious weather delays even with 2 - 3 feet of snow on the ground.
any Nation can control how it copes with it's weather, we do very well with ours, areas of the US experience extreme snow and are geared to deal with it, areas of the US experience extreme heat and are geared to deal with it.
If you have a region like Florida you have air conditioning, convertible cars and a lot of t shirts the tarmac you use on your roads is made of a mixture that stands up to heat very well and does not melt at higher temperatures, however it would crack in long periods of extensive freezing.
If you have a region like Norway you have triple glazing, heated driveways and roads, powerufll water boilers, warm clothing and the tarmac content stands up well to extreme cold, but it would melt quicker in a heatwave.
Here in the UK we regularly experience extreme heat and extreme cold, the tarmac we use has to cope with both, our wardrobes need to cater for both temperatures, we cant afford air conditioning in every building and triple glazing with bigger boilers, so comparing areas like that is nonesense.
Most drivers in the UK cannot drive in snow conditions, they dont have snow tyres and most dont have snow chains or 4 wheel drives, they don't drive in snow most days of their lives.
Our councils don't feel that we need to spend the amount we would need to spend on snow plows, grit spreaders and the like because it is only a short time each year that we need them.
I lived for years in Verbier Switzerland, 5000 ft up in the Swiss Alps, resident population 58 houses, total number of snow plows 42, total number of gritters 20, heated driveways for most houses, triple glazing throughout, snow tyres are the same price as standard tyres and when you order them from the garage they swap them for you, store your summer tyres then swap them each season for the life of the tyres, snow chains are always available cheaply in the local supermarket and 4x4 cars are the norm.
We could cope with the levels of snow we get very easily, all you have to do is spend the money they do in cold areas, buy snow tyres and snow chains, support your council when they spend a big part of their budget on more snow plows and gritters, and stop buying 2 wheel drive cars and learn to drive in the snow (allow more time for your journey, drive slower, allow more stopping distance, learn how to deal with skidding.
And I wasn't discussing the accident I was discussing the response, it is you that is looking for the negatives as so many do in these forums, as soon as someone posts anything, too many look for how they can tear it and the poster apart. That being British for you.
You want bigging up tragedy, read the Boston Marathon thread where people immediately said avoid London, avoid the London Marathon, let's be realists, Britain has become negative, there are so many that see doom and gloom in everything not least our media.
If you have a region like Florida you have air conditioning, convertible cars and a lot of t shirts the tarmac you use on your roads is made of a mixture that stands up to heat very well and does not melt at higher temperatures, however it would crack in long periods of extensive freezing.
If you have a region like Norway you have triple glazing, heated driveways and roads, powerufll water boilers, warm clothing and the tarmac content stands up well to extreme cold, but it would melt quicker in a heatwave.
Here in the UK we regularly experience extreme heat and extreme cold, the tarmac we use has to cope with both, our wardrobes need to cater for both temperatures, we cant afford air conditioning in every building and triple glazing with bigger boilers, so comparing areas like that is nonesense.
Most drivers in the UK cannot drive in snow conditions, they dont have snow tyres and most dont have snow chains or 4 wheel drives, they don't drive in snow most days of their lives.
Our councils don't feel that we need to spend the amount we would need to spend on snow plows, grit spreaders and the like because it is only a short time each year that we need them.
I lived for years in Verbier Switzerland, 5000 ft up in the Swiss Alps, resident population 58 houses, total number of snow plows 42, total number of gritters 20, heated driveways for most houses, triple glazing throughout, snow tyres are the same price as standard tyres and when you order them from the garage they swap them for you, store your summer tyres then swap them each season for the life of the tyres, snow chains are always available cheaply in the local supermarket and 4x4 cars are the norm.
We could cope with the levels of snow we get very easily, all you have to do is spend the money they do in cold areas, buy snow tyres and snow chains, support your council when they spend a big part of their budget on more snow plows and gritters, and stop buying 2 wheel drive cars and learn to drive in the snow (allow more time for your journey, drive slower, allow more stopping distance, learn how to deal with skidding.
And I wasn't discussing the accident I was discussing the response, it is you that is looking for the negatives as so many do in these forums, as soon as someone posts anything, too many look for how they can tear it and the poster apart. That being British for you.
You want bigging up tragedy, read the Boston Marathon thread where people immediately said avoid London, avoid the London Marathon, let's be realists, Britain has become negative, there are so many that see doom and gloom in everything not least our media.
