Brookhaven Fire Chief Jeff Ainsworth cautions citizens to stay clear of fire trucks and firefighters as they are responding to emergencies.

“We’ve had two pretty big, significant gas leaks recently,” Ainsworth said. “Our trucks are big, but we don’t block off the entire width of the street. We had several people just drive around, even as gas was spraying and we were working on the problem.”

If the smallest spark can set a fire under current dry conditions, think of what a spark could do around gas, the chief said.

“Don’t drive around fire trucks! For your safety, and ours,” Ainsworth said. “We’re moving around, going back and forth to the trucks, and we may not see traffic and they might not see us. This applies to foot traffic, also. Why would you walk around fire trucks and firefighters, especially when there’s gas blowing everywhere? Your cell phone could ignite it with static electricity.”

Stay smart, stay safe, and stay away from personnel actively responding to emergencies, the chief said.