Protocols keep first responders safe
Impatient and distracted driving can lead to increased risk for first responders at crash sites, Tim Llewellyn, chief of Adams Area Fire District said.
“I was almost hit two years ago. A car had driven through a controlled intersection, the driver’s side mirror whizzed past my nose. The driver had become impatient and took matters into his own hands,” he said.
In light of Crash Responders Safety Week, Llewellyn and other first responders shared protocols behind road shutdowns and driver safety at crash scenes.
The Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration said in a release a first responder is killed once every week when attempting to clear a road incident nationwide. According to officials, the week’s goal is to raise awareness and keep road responders safe.
Llewellyn said firefighters receive nearly 200 hours of training for their job, and some of that time includes traffic control training.
“You learn about how to set up signs on the road, there’s a pattern you follow, depending on the posted speed limit, how many lanes there are,” he said. “Usually we have a car positioned in the traffic lane to make sure oncoming traffic stops or slows down.”
Parking an emergency vehicle in the road also ensure’s safety for responders. Llewellyn said if motorists ignore or don’t see the warning signs, they’re more likely to hit a vehicle than a person.
Scott Garing, chief of Harmony Fire District, said his department has a fire police program, which specializes in traffic control. Other county departments with fire police take the reins on when responding to crashes.
“They get an area set up to make sure everything is done safely,” he said. “We’ll take a lane (the crash) is in plus one, this creates a safe working environment. … The ambulance parks in the safe zone behind where the blocking vehicle is parked.”
Llewellyn said responders will direct traffic to other lanes around a scene or signal for a detour.
“We have people with traffic safety vests and traffic paddles, it helps make a traffic stop more effective than the traditional hand motions,” he said.
For crashes that happen after dark, lighting is used to illuminate the people directing traffic.
“We have to make sure the lighting we use doesn’t shine into oncoming traffic, so drivers can see what we’re asking them to see,” Llewellyn said.
Sometimes drivers don’t proceed with caution, despite crews’ best efforts. According to Nathan Wulff, assistant chief of Unionville Volunteer Fire Company, said it’s good to raise awareness around the dangers of traffic control.
“With having cars driving by, the key thing for motorists is to slow down, be patient. We get a lot of people wanting to see what’s going on and swerving on the road, etc.,” he said. “There have been citations on motorists for driving at unsafe speeds.”
Traffic shut downs are often due to disabled vehicles blocking the road, Wulff said.
“We don’t shut down traffic because we feel like it. We want to keep traffic moving as much as possible. But the safety of my firefighters is No. 1,” he said. “We have good reason, we want people to understand that.
Garing encouraged drivers to remain alert when approaching an accident.
“Just stay calm, follow directions, and go with the flow. And slow down — that’s the big thing. We could get struck by a vehicle, so be observant of the conditions,” he said.
