OAKLAND, Calif. - The Oakland Fire Department said rowdy Fourth of July revelers slowed crews’ response to an emergency call on Saturday night.
Over the weekend, Oakland fire officials posted video of hundreds of people in the streets at Lakeshore and Brooklyn Avenues, impeding a fire engine en route to a call.
"Thankfully, the cool headed crew was patient with a crowd that was jumping, dancing and banging on the fire engine,” Oakland Firefighters Local 55 wrote on Facebook, adding that luckily, no one was injured.
Officials said that the crew was responding to an emergency call of a 24-year-old woman who was in and out of consciousness. A response that should have taken four minutes took more than 10, according to the fire department. "...our inability to respond to emergencies when we are needed most is distressing,” officials explained.
The Fourth of July proved to be extremely busy for fire crews in Oakland and across the Bay Area. Crews responded to hundreds of fires sparked by illegal fireworks.
Yesterday, July 4th 2020, your Oakland Firefighters responded to hundreds of calls for service and fought dozens of fires in the town.
We are here for you, to serve you. We respond to emergencies that you, your family, or your community is having. We understand these times are hard, which is exactly why we especially have to continue to do our job. No matter what, you can always rely on your Oakland Firefighters to get the job done and be there. Please help us by not allowing this to happen again. Slowing us down can be the difference between life and death.
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