Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Parking brake only works when you use it

The first morning of our 48hr shift is a busy one. We have a lot of paperwork, rig checks, daily routine and some maintenance issues to attend to. The other day we were in the middle of this routine when a large, older white man walks through our employee parking lot and straight into the station. He stood out on account of his skin color but also he was wearing coveralls. I was near the door so he approached me and asked if anyone owned a toyota truck. I had to think about it, but I remembered the station captain owns an older 4runner that could pass for a pick up with a shell. I advised the visitor who owned one and asked why. He replied in a tone that let me know he was less than impressed with whatever had happened: "because it just hit my truck!" I look out the back of our station and almost one block away, in the neighboring parking lot that is on the other side of a street; is the captains truck wedged in between the rear wheels of a large semi truck. Apparently our beloved station captain had forgotten to put his truck into gear or set the brake. I will skip the response that we got from him when we told him. But his truck had reversed out of our station parking lot (without hitting any of our trucks. remember this is shift change so the lot is packed.) crossed the street, made a gentle turn to access the driveway and across the parking lot that is a full city block. We thought it was hilairious. He wasn't impressed. He was even less impressed with one firefighter who chocked the 4runner once it was returned to its original starting spot.

4 comments:

  1. Now that's comedy - especially the part about the wheel chock. But (as a former big truck driver) I'm trying to figure out how the 4-runner was 'wedged between the rear wheels of the semi, as I recall from trying to check tires, there's not a whole lot of room between those axles. We've got a member who didn't put the rig in park and it rolled into the village police car

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  2. Sounds like someone is buying coffee for awhile. Great tale, I can imagine it negotiating away from everyone's cars in the lot.

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  3. Too funny - my co-workers truck did the same thing, but with the wheels turned it made a slow circle around the parking lot until it hit the building. We then posted a sign in front of his stall saying "Did you remember to put it in PARK?"

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  4. crs224- it was a gravel hauler. the rear wheels were spaced just far enough for a toyota to fit inbetween.

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