There was an emergency

near here yesterday and I saw the ambulance come screaming down the road with the siren blaring and the lights flashing.
The pedestrian crossing near the library had just been activated for pedestrians to cross. I stayed on the footpath and I yelled at someone on the other side who was about to cross,
    "Wait for the ambulance!"
She stepped back and the ambulance went through.
As we crossed on the next cycle instead she said in passing,
   "I wasn't thinking."
At least she waited when I yelled.
I know that there are occasions when every second can count. I have no idea who was in the ambulance or what the situation was but they don't do what they did yesterday unless it is life-threatening. 
When I arrived home I relived the moment because someone I know had posted a picture of heavy equipment which had been chained to a tree by "Greens" activists. The equipment was wanted to help fight a bush fire and could not be used. The "Greens" were protesting about a forest area. 
If the picture was an accurate record of what had happened then I am appalled. Please don't misunderstand me. I have no objection to people protesting. What I object to is people who do it in an irresponsible way.  I don't mind if people want to protest in a law abiding way. 
Actions like that though are not law abiding. You wait for the ambulance to go through. It has right of way. It doesn't matter if you are in a hurry. It doesn't matter if you miss the bus or you are late to an appointment. What matters is that you wait because it might save someone's life and it doesn't endanger the lives of those working to save that life. 
And you don't do anything at all that might prevent a fire being fought. Fires kill people and  animals. Fires destroy homes and habitat and livelihoods. If you can't fight a fire then all that lovely natural bush is going to go up in flames anyway. It's a serious criminal offence to do anything which might prevent others from doing their job in those circumstances. You aren't "saving" anything. You are likely destroying it.
I suppose that, if I am honest, I am no lover of those "activists" who indulge in noisy protests. Yes, protesting undoubtedly gets their adrenalin running, particularly when the leaders get up and shout their message into a microphone. It is however generally an ineffective way of seeking action or change. 
A well thought out letter mentally composed while waiting for the ambulance to pass will do a lot more to get the message across.