Emergency Vehicles No Match for Trains

In March of 2002, a 48-year-old volunteer fire fighter in Kentucky, driving a tanker truck, received fatal injuries after being struck by a freight train and thrown from his vehicle as he attempted to cross a private, ungated railroad crossing. The firefighter was returning apparatus to the station following a training exercise.

Two years earlier, a 31-year-old career fire fighter in North Carolina died after the ladder truck he was driving collided with a train at a railroad crossing with two sets of tracks. He was returning to the station after a false alarm. The gates at the crossing were down and warning lights activated. The northbound train moved slowly forward, then stopped after clearing the crossing to wait for permission from the dispatcher to proceed. A tanker car obstructed the fire fighter’s view of an approaching southbound train. He drove around the first lowered gate, over the tracks and into the path of the second train. The force of the impact ejected the fire fighter from his vehicle, resulting in death.

Emergency responders, as well as motorists, need to be aware of railroad crossing safety .

LOOK

Plan your routes to avoid highway-rail grade crossings. Otherwise, use crossings with active warnings and clear sightlines down railroad tracks in both directions. LOOK both ways before crossing. Trains can come from either direction.

Come to a complete stop at all crossings with passive warning devices (no gates or flashing lights). Use caution and be prepared to STOP at all crossings with active warning devices (flashing lights, gates).

LISTEN

Before crossing, roll down windows, turn off siren and radio, and listen for train horn.

LIVE

Always…heed flashing lights, closing gates and stop signs.
Wait…….until safely through the crossing before shifting gears or passing.
Never…...back up or stop on tracks. If gate comes down on the vehicle, keep going through the crossing.

The facts:

· Approximately every two hours, a train hits a person or vehicle.
· Nearly half of every vehicle-train collision occurs at crossings with functioning, active warning devices.
· Trains cannot stop quickly or swerve to avoid collisions-an average train going 55 mph takes more than a mile to stop!
· Optical Illusion-Trains are much closer and moving faster than they appear to be.
· Average freight trains weigh 12,000,000 pounds; average fire apparatus weigh 20,000 pounds. The train is some 600 times heavier. In a collision, the fire apparatus loses!
· Emergencies add urgency to decision making- going through crossing warnings may create a second emergency, distract fellow responders and cost your life.

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