Apparatus Accident Prevention

Fire apparatus accidents have been in focus for many years, and several approaches have been introduced to reduce the risks of responding to the scene and returning to quarters. What is presented here are a series of recommendations that are very effective and are achievable at little to modest cost.

Two hallmarks of driving safely are responsible vehicle operation and predictable behavior. It’s responsible to follow all traffic laws, including stopping at red lights and stop signs. The expectation of others is that all drivers will observe these traffic laws, leading to predictable behavior.

Two exceptions are civilian drivers who don’t follow the laws or who don’t pay attention to their vehicle’s operation and/or to the emergency vehicle responding with red lights and sirens. Each of these exceptions represent activity outside of predictable behavior.

The use of methods to make the fire apparatus detected and seen by other highway users isn’t well understood. To be able to reduce accidents, the ease with which an apparatus can be seen is critical.

Common accident sites

Below are some of the most common accidents that involve fire apparatus and strategies to help to prevent them.

Intersections

In terms of serious injuries, severe damage and high numbers of occurrences, the intersection event is at the top of the risk list. The opportunity for nonemergency vehicles to travel perpendicular to responding apparatus always is present and unpredictable. Relying on traffic signals or signs to provide safe passage simply is dangerous thinking. Furthermore, some intersections might not have control signs.

Don’t assume that, because there are vehicles stopped in all lanes giving you the right of way, there won’t be a “bolter”—a driver going through or around the stopped vehicles. These individuals are common and dangerous. They might be under the influence, distracted by devices or events in their vehicle or traveling too fast for conditions or might not be paying attention to the tasks at hand.

Approaching intersections using red lights, horns and sirens can increase the odds of an accident, in that the fire apparatus might be operating outside of predictable patterns of driving, which adds to the confusion of civilian drivers, even when the maneuvers are legal.

The capability of sirens and horns to be heard in civilian vehicles is limited markedly and of very short range. Consequently, the sounds of the sirens and horns might be heard only a few car lengths away. Sound isn’t directional, so the civilian driver often is looking in different directions to see where the sound is coming from. Hearing the sound doesn’t necessarily mean that an individual knows where it’s coming from.

Several strategies work very well to reduce intersection accidents and require no additional costs:

1. Stop at all intersections, even if you have the green light, and check for compliance in all lanes and all directions before you proceed. Then, don’t jump into the intersection but advance and take control of one lane at a time.
2. Respond without lights and sirens when the situation allows for it.
3. Operate within the limits of the posted road speeds. Arrival times show little significant difference between emergency versus normal responding modes.
4. Carefully plan your driver training program. It should encompass a reasonable number of actual runs in the presence of an officer or operator.
5. Don’t assume that the civilian driver hears your approach, even if you can hear your own siren and air horns.
6. Work with the front-seat officer acting as a second set of eyes to observe traffic activity, particularly at intersections.

Highway emergency scenes

The accident that’s caused by an approaching vehicle when the apparatus is parked or on scene is devastating and is compounded by fire personnel who are working the event as pedestrians.

What are the factors that are involved in contributing to “scene busting”? Any activity that isn’t normally part of routine driving at a fire or accident disrupts attention and the driver. Flashing lights also distract the driver’s concentration on the road ahead. This is referred to as the “Moth to the Flame” reaction.

To help lessen or prevent these accidents, the following can be done:

1. If your event is off of the roadway and you can park your vehicle(s) off of the roadway, do so and turn off as many flashing lights as possible. Make your scene so that it isn’t attention demanding.
2. Don’t park emergency vehicles on both sides of the roadway.
3. If your headlights face oncoming traffic, turn them off, so people aren’t blinded by the extra glare.
4. Place a large highway arrow board far enough upstream so approaching traffic is provided with time to safely react.
5. Use traffic cones to direct lane changes. Don’t block a partial lane. Either block the whole lane or don’t block it at all.
6. At night, use elevated light towers that shine straight down. This attracts the attention of approaching traffic without a major distraction.
7. Place a blocker vehicle(s) to protect the scene.

Apparatus bay

Backing vehicles is risky business. Retro-reflective/fluorescent tape on gear isn’t effective when a member stands inside of the station, because there is no UV sunlight to activate the fluorescent material.

1. If you can’t see your backer, immediately stop until you can.
2. Routinely use only one backer. That person should be positioned on the driver’s side.
3. Backers should use an illuminated wand to signal instructions.
4. Have station bay lights on to help to back the rig into position.

Wake accidents

When two or more emergency vehicles respond with lights and sirens and follow each other closely, motorists have been known to pull over for the first unit and then pull back into the flow of traffic not expecting a trailing vehicle. This is called a wake accident.

The least complicated defense for a wake accident is to increase spacing behind the rig ahead.

Reducing accidents by being seen

To prevent accidents that involve emergency vehicles, the vehicles must be seen by the civilian driver in time to avoid an accident. If you camouflage your vehicles, you can expect an increased chance of being involved in a crash. We don’t deliberately camouflage response vehicles, but we often do it inadvertently when deciding paint colors.

Among the camouflage colors in highway use today are black, red, dark blue and dark green, along with any combination of these colors.

Fire service camouflage is prevented by using paint colors and patterns that cause the vehicles to be more visible in their community surroundings.

1. Anti-camouflage colors, which are light, work well for fire apparatus, and as reported in the July 2019 Firehouse Magazine Apparatus Safety & Specifications Supplement, accidents are reduced significantly when lime green, lime yellow or yellow vehicle paint is used.
2. Retro-reflective/fluorescent material is a 24/7 application that enhances vehicle visibility without requiring any electrical energy. On the rear of apparatus, the most outstanding chevron pattern is the fluorescent lime green with red diagonals. This chevron should be repeated on the front bumper. Retro fit this highly visible tape chevron pattern if it isn’t in use.
3. An additional flashing light choice should be an oscillating, rotating or spinning device that’s mounted in the middle of the apparatus grill.
4. A second pair of flashing lights should be mounted on the apparatus roof, with as wide a lateral separation between them as possible, to be seen by tractor-trailer drivers.

Driver training

Civilian vehicles are relatively small compared with modern fire apparatus, and operators must adjust for the difference.

1. Because of the difference in vehicle size and weight, turning, braking and maneuverability differences need to become second nature.
2. Carrying significant quantities of water adds to stopping distance and handling characteristics. Tanker or tender vehicles are prone to braking and maneuvering accidents. Tankers that carry 3,000 gallons of water aren’t uncommon in rural areas, and call volume might be lower, which leads to less driver experience. Therefore, driver training that’s associated with water transportation must be prominently presented.

Four-sided geometry of accident reduction

Similar to the fire triangle of heat, oxygen and fuel, consider the accident prevention square for fire apparatus safety, where the four sides of the square comprise lights, sirens, vehicle color and driver training. All four sides are needed to provide the highest level of safety.

Apparatus accidents are costly, they are serious, they delay responses, and they affect the entire department. By reducing accidents, we reduce firefighter injuries and fatalities and help to maintain readiness.