Canadian firetruck responding to U.S. call held up at border

:wow: I saw this story on local news and could not believe it:


(CNN) -- A Canadian firetruck responding with lights and sirens to a weekend fire in Rouses Point, New York, was stopped at the U.S. border for about eight minutes, U.S. border officials said Tuesday.

Fire officials battling the blaze called for help from fire departments in nearby Quebec, using a longstanding and often-used mutual aid agreement. But the first truck that arrived at the small Rouses Point border crossing was delayed as officials checked documentation of the firefighters and their truck, officials confirmed.

Two other trucks that arrived at the crossing next were cleared in less than two minutes each, a time that one fire official said was still too long considering the situation.

"It's embarrassing," said Chris Trombley, chief of the Champlain Volunteer Fire Department and deputy fire coordinator for Clinton County Emergency Services. "We're calling for help from another country and the first roadblock they hit is at our border."

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/11/14/border.firetruck/index.html

having taken patients to US Hospitals from Mexican Hospitals we were sent to secondary regularly,

And everybody had papers checked... and yes, we had lights and sirens and at times critical patients.

So my shock factor is non-existent.

I am sure the crews responding to the San Diego Fires from TJ also were held up at the border.

I really don't know how we have survived without this elevated awareness delivered to us by this administration.