February 1, 2002 - 10:00pm - Unit #220 and unit #65 heard a report of a woman with a flat tire on westbound I-44 just west of Lindbergh Blvd. 220 and 65 got to the motorist at the same time as the Sunset Hills officer. 220 told the officer he would change the tire for the lady. The Sunset Hills officer radioed to his dispatcher "I'll be remaining at the scene along with the motorist....REACT is on the scene to change the tire". 220 changed the tire while 65 remained further back behind the officer to warn approaching traffic. When 220 put the spare tire on, he discovered it was flat. He radioed to 65 to bring up his air compressor to fill the tire. Five minutes later, the tire was filled, the motorist was on her way, and the officer thanked 65 and 220 for helping.

February 3, 2002 - 8:50pm - Unit #220 was heading north on I-270 just south of Manchester Rd. when he noticed a car on the opposite shoulder with its hazard lights on. When he reached the top of the hill, the hazard lights went off. 220 turned around to check on the vehicle. He noticed a family of four inside. 220 talked to the driver and found out that AAA was on the way with a tow truck. He mentioned to the driver that it seemed like the alternator was the problem. 220 stayed behind the vehicle with his lights on until the tow truck arrived and then went on his way.

February 3, 2002 - 10:15pm - Unit #220 heard a report of a car stalled on eastbound on I-44 between Lewis Rd. and Antire Rd. A few minutes later, a St. Louis County Police car in the area reported it as "unfounded". 220 decided to proceed past Lewis Rd on westbound I-44 and turn around at Hwy 109. 220 found the vehicle, an Eagle Talon, on the side of the road with a dead battery. The driver was going from his girlfriend's house to his home in Oakville when the trouble began. 220 provided a list of tow truck numbers and remained at the scene until the tow truck arrived. The driver and tow truck driver thanked 220 for his assistance. For more info on this report, see the LETTERS section.

February 3, 2002 - 10:40pm - Unit #220 was on his way home on northbound I-55 when he saw flashers on a vehicle on southbound I-55 near the Imperial exit. 220 turned around and headed south to get a closer look (since the vehicle was in the construction zone). 220 stopped behind the vehicle and discovered a flat tire and a driver who wasn't having much luck getting his tire jack to work. 220 offered his 4-way tire iron and 2-ton floor jack and went to work on changing the tire. The driver was thankful that 220 arrived because the man nearly broke his tire jack in two pieces from lifting the car the wrong way.

February 3, 2002 - 11:50pm - Unit #220 assisted with a vehicle accident at the top of the off-ramp from westbound Hwy 40 onto northbound Hwy 94 in St. Charles County. Arriving on scene ahead of him was a St. Charles County Sheriff's Deputy. 220 asked if he needed help and the officer said "everything was okay". 220 then stopped at the top of the hill, out of harms way, to search for some "snow shoes" in his truck. 220 had used them once before to get a car out of some dirt and thought they would be of use to the office and maybe save some money on a tow truck. Since the woman's car was wedged on a curb between soft dirt and pavement, there was no way the shoes would help her out.

February 6, 2002 - 7:50pm - Unit #02 and unit #65 were on southbound I-270 north of Highway 30 about to exit onto Highway 30. 02 and 65 exited onto Highway 30 and found a stalled motorist in the middle of the intersection. 02 stopped at the top of the ramp with his lights on and blocked the lane because the motorist was in front of him. 65 turned around in the intersection and stopped next to the motorist. A few seconds later a Sunset Hills officer arrived on the scene. The officer told the motorist he would stop traffic so they could push the Bronco through the intersection and onto the shoulder. The officer stopped the eastbound Highway 30 traffic, 65 stopped the westbound 30 onto I-270 traffic (the two turn lanes), and 02 stopped the exit ramp traffic while they pushed the truck to the shoulder. 02 and 65 then left the scene.

February 7, 2002 - 8:30pm - Unit #220 was on the job trying to assist Frontenac Police with a theft at the St. Louis Frontenac Hilton, when he stumbled across a woman driving on a flat tire near Lindbergh Blvd. and Hwy 40. 220 changed the tire for the woman and her daughter. The woman thanked 220 for his help and offered money to him, which he declined. The mother and daughter were originally on their way to the St. Louis County Library, which was just two minutes down the street.

February 8, 2002 - 9:40pm - Unit #65 and unit #220 assisted with a vehicle accident with injuries on eastbound Highway 30 at I-270. 65 and 220 got to the scene and found a car had rear-ended a jeep really hard at a stoplight. There were no police cars behind the fire trucks and no officers directing traffic so 220 and 65 turned around and came back eastbound and stopped behind the fire truck with their lights on. Three lanes were closed at that time. After a few minutes, the fire truck left the scene and the officer moved his car over one lane so only two lanes were closed. The car involved was still in the middle lane with no police cars behind it so 220 pulled his truck up closer to the car to protect the people and the officer standing around it. (They were waiting for the tow truck to arrive.) After a few minutes the tow truck arrived and removed the car. The police car pulled away and 65 and 220 re-opened the two lanes.

February 9, 2002 - 12:10am - Unit #220 assisted an Allen Cab company employee and his wife on eastbound Hwy 40 near Maryville Center Drive in Town & Country. 220 talked to the driver and realized that the car might have a flooded carbonator and may just need to be towed or moved downhill. The driver fiddled with the car for a bit more and got it started. It died, and he messed with it a second time. This time, he opened the carb with a pocket knife and this did the trick. 220 followed the vehicle eastbound to Hwy I-170, turned around, and went home. The vehicle turned north on I-170 and kept going without any more problems.

February 14, 2002 - 9:10pm - Unit #220 and unit #65 assisted a motorist on the shoulder of northbound I-55 just north of Butler Hill Road. The motorist was having engine trouble and was having trouble finding a tow truck to tow his car. 220 supplied the driver with a list of tow company phone numbers to call. After another call or two the motorist had a tow truck on the way. 220 and 65 then left the scene since the motorist was in a safe location. (He had pulled his car off the shoulder into the grass.)

February 15, 2002 - 4:30pm - Unit #220 heard report about a vehicle with a flat tire blocking the right lane of westbound I-44 over the Meramec River Bridge. 220 had just crossed over the westbound side and didn't see anything. 220 looked into his rearview mirror and saw the dark vehicle at the last possible second. He then drove down I-44, turned around at Bowles, and headed eastbound. After turning around at the Watson Rd. exit, he turned on his lights and headed towards the vehicle. He quickly parked his truck behind the car, threw out some cones to block the slow lane, and went to talk to the driver. 220 told the driver "as long you drive slowly, you won't risk any damage to the tire". The woman started her car and proceeded to drive down to the shoulder. Seconds later, a Missouri State Highway Patrol car reached the scene and stayed behind both vehicles. The trooper thanked 220 for his help and jokinly questioned that 220 didn't "break any laws to get to the scene". 220 just shook his head, smiled, and got back to his truck.

February 15, 2002 - 6:00pm - Unit #220 came across a two vehicle injury accident on westbound I-44 west of St. James, Missouri (near the 193 mile marker). 220 was at the top of a hill heading westbound when he noticed something was up close to the inside lane, but on the eastbound side of I-44. 220 immediately kicked on his lights and turned around in the median. He stopped behind the accident. A St. James ambulance was on the way and in less than two minutes and two Missouri State Highway Patrol Troopers had arrived as well. As it turned out, vehicle #1 swerved into the passing lane and struck vehicle #2, causing it to lose control and end up in the median. One MSHP Trooper thanked 220 for being in the area and said "he was free to go".

February 15, 2002 - 7:30pm - Unit #02 was at a gas station on Bowles Ave. at I-44 when he noticed smoke coming from a trash can behind a restaurant next door. 02 drove over to the restaurant and examined the trash can. He called unit #65 over the radio and told him to meet him behind the restaurant. 65 was traveling on Bowles Ave. at the time and got to 02's location within a minute. 02 showed him the fire in the trash can. There were logs burning in the can and it was producing alot of smoke. (Enough to catch the attention of everyone going in and out of the restaurant.) 65 watched the fire, that was next to a dumpster, while 02 went inside and asked an employee if they knew anything about the fire. They told 02 they dump their fire wood in the can all the time but they would send someone out back to check on it. An employee came outside a minute later and moved the metal trash can further away from the dumpster.

February 15, 2002 - 8:35pm - Unit #220 was approaching the City of Dixon, MO, when he spotted a motorist with car trouble along the side of the road (going his direction). Since it was getting rather cold out, 220 stopped to see what he could do. The vehicle had an antifreeze leak and just needed some tools to correct a loose bracket. 220 offered a flashlight, antifreeze, and tools to help get the driver on his way. He got the leak fixed and the driver was on his way.

February 15, 2002 - 9:30pm - Unit #02 and unit #65 assisted a tow truck driver on northbound Highway 141 under Highway 30. The tow truck driver was having trouble hooking up the car when 02 and 65 arrived. He needed to stand in the traffic lane to hook up the car so 02 and 65 partially blocked the right lane until he finished. He drove away with the car about ten minutes later.

February 15, 2002 - 9:35pm - Unit #220 came across two vehicles on eastbound I-44 east of Strafford. 220 turned around at the exit, and went back east to see what the trouble was. 220 found two vehicles but only one was having car trouble. 220 waited until a tow truck arrived, flipped around at the next exit, and continued westbound to Branson, MO.

February 15, 2002 - 7:55pm - Unit #220 was on his way home from Branson, MO when he heard a report of a vehicle accident near his location, near the 233 mile marker. 220 turned on his lights and looked around to see if he could see anything related to the call. He didn't see anything except for a Jeep on the shoulder with an alternating emergency white light on. Realizing that this could be it, 220 turned around in the median. 220 found the accident (it was a car in a ditch). 220 got out and went towards a small group of people standing nearby (one of them was the Jeep owner) to see if anyone was hurt. 220 then grabbed some flares and waved traffic from the fast lane to the slow lane. After laying down about 6 flares, emergency vehicles began to arrive on the scene. Just as he was about to leave, a Missouri State Trooper asked "who are you?". Unit 220 gave the officer his drivers license and REACT identification card and told him "I was the second man on the scene". The officer thanked 220 for showing up and appreciated his handling of the scene. The owner of the vehicle, a 2002 Ford Thunderbird, was ticketed for speeding and reckless driving.

February 20, 2002 - 2:15pm - Unit #220 came across some motorists with car trouble on Hwy 40 east of Mason Rd. While 220 was talking to the driver, a police car stopped at the scene. The driver told the Town & Country Police officer that he would be back to have the car towed in a little while. 220 then left the scene after giving the driver directions to a towing shop in the area.

February 20, 2002 - 8:45pm - Unit #02 was traveling on southbound I-55 south of Butler Hill Rd. when he saw a minivan in front of him run over something on the highway. The van immediately pulled onto the shoulder. 02 thought the van had a flat tire so he stopped in front of the van with his lights on. 02 asked the driver if he needed any help. The driver told 02 he ran over a piece of metal and it flew up the side of the van and scatched the paint. 02 shined his flashlight on the van so the driver could inspect the damage. While they were doing this, unit #65 was also at I-55 and Butler Hill Road and saw 02 on the shoulder. He stopped behind the van to see if 02 needed any help. 02 told 65 what happened. After inspecting the damage, the driver thanked 02 and left the scene.

February 22, 2002 - 9:45pm - Unit #220 and unit #65 stopped with their lights on and blocked the right lane on the off ramp from southbound I-55 onto Meramec Bottom Rd. because a pick-up truck was stopped there partially blocking the lane. 220 approached the truck and smelled something burning. The driver smelled it too and that's why he stopped there. After checking the engine and not finding anything wrong, the driver drove away. 220 then noticed a big oil spot on the ground. He and 65 drove off and tried to catch up to the driver to tell him about the leak. They found him at a gas station on the other side of the highway. His truck was smoking at that point (from the oil). 220 stopped and pointed out the oil leak to the driver. The driver decided to try and drive the truck home before the oil pressure got too low. (It is unknown if he made it home)

February 23, 2002 - 8:00pm - Unit #220 assisted with a vehicle accident with a person ejected on the ramp from westbound I-44 onto northbound I-270. The right lane was blocked on the curve so 220 stopped before the curve and threw out flares to close the lane. This was needed there because traffic couldn't see the police cars around the curve until they got right on them. 220 called for unit #65 over the GMRS radio and told him to come to the scene to help slow down traffic. 65 was at home at the time and got to 220's location within five minutes. After awhile, a tv news van stopped on the shoulder behind 65 and 220, blocking their warning lights. So 65 called unit #02 on his cell phone and asked hm to come to the scene. 02 arrived within five minutes and stopped behind the news van with his lights on to slow traffic. Thirty minutes later, the lane was re-opened to traffic. The driver was alive and taken to the hospital. He apparently took the turn too fast, lost control, crashed into a ditch, and was ejected from the car.

February 25, 2002 - 4:00pm - Unit #02 was at Bowles Ave. and I-44 in a snowstorm when he heard a report of a vehicle accident with multiple cars involved and injuries on eastbound I-44 at the Meramec River bridge (one mile away). 02 got onto eastbound 44 and headed to the scene. When he arrived, he noticed that the accident was actually on westbound I-44. So he turned around at the next exit and came back westbound to the accident. 02 stopped behind the cars involved with his lights on. A St. Louis County Police car stopped in the fast lane of eastbound I-44, on the other side of the median wall, next to 02. The officer told 02 to remain there until they could get some police cars on the westbound side. The officer had to close the fast lane on the eastbound side for the ambulance. The ambulance was coming eastbound and the nearest hospital was also to the east so they wanted to stop on the eastbound side. 02 directed traffic until officers closed the westbound fast lane. They then thanked 02 for stopping and told him he could leave.

February 26, 2002 - 7:30am - Unit #02 had just exited I-70 onto IL 157 (in Illinois) when he saw a car in a ditch. It had snowed the night before and there was an inch or two of snow on the ground. 02 stopped with his lights on and checked for injuries. The driver was ok and 02 called for the police. An officer arrived a few minutes later and 02 explained the situation and what REACT is to the officer (he was unfamiliar with it). 02 then left the scene.

February 26, 2002 - 7:45am - Unit #02 had just finished helping the driver in the above report and was still traveling on IL 157 when his car began to spin out of control on the slick road. He quickly recovered and then saw about ten cars in the ditch along the road. 02 made the decision to close the road because it was impassable. He turned on his lights and slowly drove to the next intersection. He turned around and shut down the road with cones and flares. He left the cones and flares at the intersection and drove down the road to check to see if anyone in the ten cars was injured. Soon after that, drivers started to ignore the road block 02 had set up and had started to drive around the cones and flares. More cars started to lose control on the road. Another ten cars ended up in the ditch for a total of about twenty. While this was happening, 02 had called 911 on his cell phone and told them he had twenty cars in the ditch with no injuries so far but needed salt trucks, tow trucks, and police to shut down the highway. Soon emergency vehicles began to arrive and police saw right away that 02 was correct and the highway needed to be closed. Officers on the scene thanked 02 for his help. 02 had to remain at the scene for quite some time because the road was impassable. As soon as a salt truck arrived and salted the road, 02 left to continue on to a morning class.

February 26, 2002 - 8:40pm - Unit #220 and unit #65 assisted a stranded motorist (a father and daughter) on the shoulder of southbound I-270 just north of Highway 30. Their car had overheated and they were stranded there without a cell phone. The outside temperature was around 20 degrees with a wind chill of near zero. 220 supplied them with some antifreeze and they were able to get the car started again. 220 and 65 followed them to their house near I-55 and Reavis Barracks Road incase the car overheated again. They made it home and the father thanked 220 for helping. He said they could have been stuck there all night and froze to death.