A fire truck almost killed me

Seriously. I was standing in downtown Glendale (I think. At least I call it downtown Glendale) at a corner where the intersections are very large. Suddenly, this hook-and-ladder truck -- one of those long deals with the guy steering in back, too -- springs to life and pulls away from the curb on the other side of the street from me. An ambulance rips past, and then the fire truck driver(s) slowly veer right so as to give themselves the widest of rooms and then they whip left. At least the guy driving in front does, because the front part is turning so fast and tight it looks like it's going to tip over, while the ass driver sort of stays the course. The front end comes about five feet from me then straightens out preparing to tear down the street and fight some fire; meanwhile the back end has just sort of finished a tight little turn but at the same time hasn't really moved at all -- he just sort of about-faced. Then the back end follows the front end (duh) as they (it?) zooms away.

Okay, I just read this. The story sort of sucks on the proverbial paper. Imagine lots of lights and wailing sirens and whatnot. It was a very aural experience, with the odors from In-and-Out wafting over the scene to add some more texture. Those are some good burgers.