Burlington fire trucks to follow speed limits
Last Updated: Friday, June 27, 2008 | 9:00 AM ET
CBC News
The city of Burlington has started an experiment that it hopes will save lives.
Starting immediately, when responding to emergencies, Burlington firefighters must obey all posted speed limits.
The aim is to improve safety while maintaining response times.
Deputy fire chief Robin McDowell says slower fire trucks might seem counter-intuitive at first, but slower trucks are unlikely to collide with other vehicles on the road.
"We run into many occasions where our trucks are ... behind a vehicle and [the other vehicles on the road will] freeze right on the spot, they'll pull to the left, they'll pull to the right, sometimes they're just shocked at the speed at which they're approached and they're scared," he said.
The fire department is also using a new technology that it hopes will clear congestion at intersections.
Fire trucks are now equipped with a strobe light that can change any of the city's 180 traffic lights from red to green.
"By coming a little slower, the light changes sooner, so the light should be changed before we even get there, allowing the cars to clear the intersection before the truck even gets there. And then, by the time the truck does get there, normally it has a clear path," said McDowell.
The city made the change at a cost of $1 million.
Firetrucks will follow posted speed limits until Sept. 30 as part of the trial run.
After that, the city will examine the results and decide whether to adopt the policy permanently.
