Siren Limitations and Intersection Safety

Drive to Survive: Case Studies Chris Daly

On July 26, 2010, a 59-year-old chief and a 67-year-old firefighter were responding to an emergency call in a pumper. While en route to the call, the apparatus driver proceeded through a steady red light, striking a sport utility vehicle. After striking the sport utility vehicle, the apparatus rolled over, and both the chief and firefighter were ejected. During the course of the crash, both the chief and firefighter sustained fatal injuries.

DRIVER CONSIDERATIONS

The investigation revealed that the apparatus driver entered an intersection against a steady red light. After entering the intersection, the apparatus was involved in a collision with a civilian vehicle that had proceeded into the intersection with a steady green light. Both firefighters riding on the apparatus were not wearing their seat belts, were subsequently ejected from the vehicle, and sustained fatal injuries.

Fire apparatus operators must have a thorough understanding of siren limitations and intersection safety. This is especially true when entering or crossing against a steady red light, a stop sign, or any other negative right-of-way intersection. Many fire apparatus operators do not realize the limited effective range of a siren, which can be as little as 26 to 40 feet depending on the circumstances. While the siren is loud and clearly audible to the firefighters riding in an emergency vehicle, the same cannot be said for other motorists on the roadway. Modern automobile design has resulted in a severe reduction in siren effectiveness, as modern automobiles are designed to keep noise from entering into the passenger compartment of a vehicle. As a result, vehicles are very effective at blocking the sound of a siren and rendering it an ineffective warning device.

In addition to understanding siren limitations, fire apparatus operators must understand that an emergency vehicle approaching an intersection may not be readily visible to an approaching civilian driver. The approaching driver’s line of sight may be blocked by obstructions along the roadway such as signs, trees, and other vehicles. Fire apparatus operators must also understand that civilian motorists driving on the roadway tend to focus their sight and attention straight ahead, so the civilian motorists may not readily identify that an emergency vehicle is emerging from a side street into their path of travel.

As a result of these siren and visibility limitations, fire apparatus operators must come to a complete stop at all negative right-of-way intersections, such as a red light or a stop sign. The fire apparatus operator must wait for all other motorists to perceive and react to the emergency vehicle, then give each motorist the necessary time and distance to yield the right of way. If an emergency vehicle driver cannot account for a lane of travel because his visibility is blocked by an obstruction, such as a large truck or other stopped traffic, he must wait for the sight obstruction to clear so he can clearly see and account for the lane of travel or wait for the light to change. Although some apparatus operators may question the need to wait under such circumstances, entering into an unaccounted travel lane is no different than guessing whether or not it is safe to do so. Remember: The emergency vehicle driver cannot demand the right of way; it must be given.

Finally, all members riding in an emergency vehicle must wear seat belts. If a fire apparatus is involved in a collision, an unrestrained member riding in the passenger compartment may be seriously injured or ejected from the vehicle if not properly restrained. It is important that every member remind all other members to put their seat belts on. If you are wearing your seat belt during a crash but the person next to you is not, that person may become a flying projectile that could seriously injure or even kill you.

DRIVER TRAINING CONSIDERATIONS

Driver training programs should stress the importance of coming to a complete stop at negative right-of-way intersections and the need to ensure that all lanes of traffic are accounted for before entering the intersection. Emergency vehicle driver training programs should also address siren limitations and provide examples of limited sight distances at different intersections throughout the district.

When discussing these limitations, driver trainers should remember to stress the issues related to lawsuits and liability if an emergency vehicle driver enters into a negative right-of-way intersection and causes a crash. Driver training programs must also teach fire apparatus operators that it is their responsibility to ensure that all members are secured with seat belts before moving the vehicle, as stated in National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1500, Standard on Fire Department Occupational Safety, Health, and Wellness Program, 6.2.5.

RELEVANT NFPA STANDARDS

• NFPA 1451, Standard for a Fire and Emergency Service Vehicle Operations Training Program, 6.1.1: Fire and emergency service organization (FESO) vehicle drivers/operators shall have knowledge of applicable federal, state, provincial, and local regulations governing the operation of FESO vehicles.
• NFPA 1451, 7.1.3: “The driver/operator of an FESO vehicle encountering any of the following situations shall bring the vehicle to a complete stop and shall not proceed until it is confirmed that it is safe to do so:
  1. Any “stop” signal (i.e., sign, light, or traffic officer).
  2. Blind intersection.
  3. Intersections where the operator cannot see all lanes of traffic.
  4. Stopped school bus with red flashing warning lights, as required by state law.
• NFPA 1451, 8.2.2: The driver/operator of an FESO vehicle shall be directly responsible for the safe and prudent operation of the vehicle under all conditions.
• NFPA 1451, 8.2.3: Where the driver/operator is under the direct supervision of an officer, that officer is responsible for the operation of the vehicle.
• NFPA 1451, A8.2.2: The driver of any vehicle has a legal responsibility for its safe and prudent operation at all times.
• NFPA 1451, A8.2.3: While the driver is responsible for the operation of the vehicle, the officer is responsible for the actions of the driver.
• NFPA 1500, 6.2.5: Drivers shall not move the fire apparatus until all persons on the vehicle are seated and secured with seat belts in approved riding positions, other than as specifically allowed in this chapter (urgent medical care, tiller training, hose loading operations).
• NFPA 1500, 6.2.8: During emergency response, drivers of fire apparatus shall bring the vehicle to a complete stop under any of the following circumstances:
  1. When directed by a law enforcement officer.
  2. At red traffic lights.
  3. At stop signs.
  4. At negative right-of-way intersections.
  5. At blind intersections.
  6. When the driver cannot account for all lanes of traffic in an intersection.
  7. When other intersection hazards are present.
  8. When encountering a stopped school bus with flashing warning lights.
• NFPA 1500, 6.2.9: Drivers shall proceed through intersections only when the driver can account for all lanes of traffic in the intersection.
• NFPA 1500, 6.3.1: All persons riding in fire apparatus shall be seated and belted securely by seat belts in approved riding positions at any time the vehicle is in motion other than as allowed in 6.3.4, 6.3.5, and 6.3.6 (urgent medical care, tiller training, hose loading operations).
• NFPA 1500, 6.3.3: Seat belts shall not be released or loosened for any purpose while the vehicle is in motion, including the donning of respiratory protection equipment or protective clothing.

RESOURCES

1. “Apparatus Siren Limitations and Intersection Crashes,” Fire Engineering, February, 2017 (bit.ly/3RuAjZQ).

2. Drive to Survive: The Art of Wheeling the Rig, Chapters 6 and 7, which explains the issues related to siren limitations and intersection crashes in more detail (bit.ly/3ZmvNi5).

3. “Siren Limitation Training,”Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment, April 2017 (bit.ly/3RvbGMK).

CHRIS DALY is a 25-year police veteran and an accredited crash reconstructionist (ACTAR #1863). In addition to his police duties, he has served in the fire service for more than 33 years, including time as both a career and volunteer firefighter, holding numerous positions, including the rank of assistant chief. Daly has a master’s degree in environmental health engineering from Johns Hopkins University and is a contributing author to Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment and Fire Engineering. He developed the “Drive to Survive” emergency vehicle driver training program, which has been presented to more than 26,000 firefighters and police officers across the United States and is author of Drive to Survive – The Art of Wheeling the Rig from Fire Engineering Books and Videos. Additional resources can be found at www.drivetosurvive.org.