Freeway patrol at your service

Ever bump into someone who proclaims love for his occupation simply because it allows him to help the helpless without charging a nickel?

On the road? In Las Vegas?

In a city known for rude motorists driven to the edge by construction zones, heat and endless traffic, there is an exception in the form of Dave Dennis.

His ideal work day is creeping along a congested Interstate 15 in search of a poor soul whose vehicle has run out of gasoline, overheated, or conked out for whatever reason.

Need a new belt? Not a problem. Dennis was a mechanic for 16 years, and he hauls a box of belts in his work van. There is no charge.

Heat exhaustion? Not a big deal. Dennis also has 25 years experience as an emergency medical technician.

Ask Dennis why he loves his job so much, and he's quick with an answer.

"Just being able to help people for free," he said after spending more than an hour on a dangerous shoulder of I-15, protecting a young couple's vehicle until a tow truck arrived. "Helping with gas, changing their tire and getting them back on the road ... I don't think it gets any better than that."

You've probably seen Dennis or one of his 10 co-workers who drive Freeway Service Patrol vans, but unless you've been stranded on the shoulder of the freeway, cars zipping past at 80 mph, you might not entirely appreciate what they do.

The company is contracted by the Nevada Department of Transportation to attend to sick or injured drivers, lost or stranded motorists, and to clear debris from travel lanes. Each patrol driver has some experience fixing vehicles, and all must be certified emergency medical technicians.

The transportation department uses federal funding for the four-year $5.7 million contract with Samaritania Inc., the company that operates the patrol service. The program started in 1998 with construction of the Spaghetti Bowl and the widening of U.S. Highway 95. It was successful in quickly clearing accidents and stalled vehicles from the construction zone. It has since expanded to the Las Vegas Beltway, U.S. 95 and I-15, on weekends all the way to Primm.

Like all government-funded programs, it is always at risk of being cut; but people like John Domina, a planning coordinator with the Transportation Department, would hate to see the service eliminated.

"It's a system that helps the flow of traffic to ensure we don't waste a lot of gas with traffic jams," Domina said.

Granted, Dennis and his fellow crew members can't fix everything on the spot, but they have proven to be saviors on several occasions.

This is Dennis' favorite story: A mother and her daughter were passing through Las Vegas on the way to a family reunion in San Diego. Their alternator died, but staying the night would have meant missing the party.

Dennis drove the pair to an auto parts shop, picked up a new alternator, returned to the stranded vehicle and replaced the part. For free.

"We take nothing from nobody," said Tony Pisano, Dennis' fellow driver technician. "No tips, no business cards, no comps, no nothing."

That's one policy. The company's other is to stop for every vehicle regardless of whether the service driver is headed to another call for assistance. Even if the motorist wants no assistance, Dennis and his colleagues stop to deliver a cold bottle of water.

If a tow truck is expected to take several hours, the freeway patrol will drive stranded motorists home or to work.

Their mission is to ensure the motorists' safety.

"If you're in a bad spot, we're either going to stay or take you to a safe spot," Pisano said, noting that 10 percent of traffic fatalities occur on the shoulder of the road. "Your life is more important than your vehicle."

Last Wednesday, Dennis came upon a sport utility vehicle broken down on a narrow shoulder of I-15. The passengers were in a precarious position: Their vehicle was pinched between a concrete barrier and a lane in which drivers were merging onto the freeway from Flamingo Road and off to Tropicana Avenue.

Dennis parked his van behind the vehicle, flicked on his flashers, delivered some water and waited. Nearly an hour later, a tow truck finally arrived.

These guys play several roles -- medic, mechanic, guardian angel -- but one job they do not have is enforcing the law. In fact, it is against company policy to contact authorities if they come across motorists who, for example, might have been drinking.

Still, whether they are amber or red and blue, flashing lights tend to scare motorists.

As Dennis embarked on his shift earlier in the week, he pulled behind a vehicle with its hazard lights flashing. As he approached the car, the driver quickly pulled back onto the freeway. Less than five minutes later, he pulled up to a woman who was fishing around in her backseat. The woman waved him off and drove away.

"It's gonna be one of those days," Dennis said, clearly frustrated that motorists don't realize the danger of stopping on the shoulder.

He has seen women changing babies' diapers as trucks and cars whipped by.

Midway through Dennis' shift, he spotted an abandoned vehicle on the shoulder of I-15 near Spring Mountain Road. He snatched a fluorescent orange card from the van and approached the car. Cynics, myself included, might think, "Ah-ha, here it comes. These guys aren't all about doing good."

This is a warning, right? This is a notice to move the car pronto or it will be hauled off and stored in some towing yard until you cough up a couple hundred bucks to bail it out. Right?

"No," Dennis said with a laugh. "It says, 'Sorry we missed you.'"

As in, sorry we were tardy in coming to your rescue.

If you have a question, tip or tirade, call the Road Warrior at 387-2904, or e-mail her at roadwarrior@reviewjournal.com or apacker@reviewjournal.com. Please include your phone number.