First responders know their jobs can involve danger, but a Calgary group says too often that danger is preventable.

It was a split-second decision on the side of a snowy highway that changed Brian Baker’s life 12 years ago.

The Crossfield, Alta., firefighter pushed the victim of a collision out of the way of a car speeding towards them at 100 kilometres per hour.

“It was blowing wind, gusting up to a 100 km/h, freezing rain, snowing,” said Baker.

“The car struck me below the knees, shattering my leg, my shoulder landed into the hood, my head penetrated into the windshield and I landed 100 meters down the highway.”

Baker woke up in hospital a week later with broken bones, and years of surgeries ahead.

After the accident

To save others from his own fate, Baker worked for the next five years to change the legislation.

In 2005, he succeeded: cars must now slow to 60 km/h when they pass emergency vehicles stopped on the side of the road —but Baker says it’s not enough.

He wants the law to go a step further, having the posted speed limit cut by half when cars pass emergency vehicles that are pulled over.

The group behind the John Petropolis Memorial Fund agrees that more can be done.

This month, the group, which is dedicated to keeping first responders safe, is pushing hard to get drivers to slow down.

“One of our slogans is protecting those who protect you, that’s what we do and that’s what we want the public to do and take that responsibility seriously,” said Ian Wilson of the John Petropoulos Memorial Fund.

“Speeding is not always a cause of accidents but it is always a factor in the severity of collisions.”