Gridlock

Two cars collide in the middle of rush hour heading east on U.S. 280. The crash traps one driver in his seat. His car catches fire only seconds after he is pulled from it.

Although emergency responders try to rush to the scene, cars stuck motionless around the accident block the path for the ambulance, fire engine and medics. This bumper-to-bumper traffic, while also frustrating for drivers, poses a real problem for emergency personnel on 280. 

“It is difficult to respond a lot of times, and it puts a lot of stress on the department personnel,” said Cahaba Valley Fire Battalion Chief Sam Johnson. “Even though I am the battalion chief and physically I don’t have to do as much work, I am tired. I’m exhausted from running up and down U.S. 280.” 

The problem

U.S. 280 traffic has added at least two minutes to response time in certain parts of Cahaba Valley Fire’s coverage area down U.S. 280 toward Jefferson County, according to Cahaba Valley Fire Lieutenant Steve Brecht.

Following the law is vital for responders during emergencies, but both Johnson and Cahaba Valley Fire’s public information officer Grant Wilkinson said there is a difference between what the law says and what the public can do in some cases. 

Although cars are required to move over for response vehicles, not everyone can move out of the way in U.S. 280 traffic. Vehicles get stuck in bottlenecks at the many traffic lights on the highway, and drivers can’t get out of the way even if they want to.  

“It is difficult, especially [during] certain times you cannot get up and down U.S. 280. It really delays your response,” Johnson said. “The people are very nice and they try, but there isn’t anywhere to go.” 

The lack of space to move over creates a need for the department to operate within the traffic. Both Johnson and Wilkinson said if the department isn’t careful, its presence in traffic actually causes accidents while the responders are trying to get to an accident. There are even times when they stop the sirens and lights to prevent stressing out drivers, which Johnson said can be frustrating.

“We are cognizant of the fact that the traffic flow has an impact on our responses, especially during higher traffic volume times,” Wilkinson said. “The reality of what is on the roads can be challenging for new members of any of the public service, but after a short period of time you take a deep breath and you do the very best you can.”

How drivers hinder the process

Drivers also have an effect on how emergency response laws work. 

“Everyone understands, the heavier the volume, the more of a potential challenge it can be and the more vigilant you have to be,” Hoover Police Captain James A. Coker said. “Response time always is key, so the more drivers that will adhere to the law and move over or out of the way, [the more] it could save a life.”

People not merging to the right on the approach of emergency vehicles, Brecht said, is one of the biggest problems the department deals with on U.S. 280. He said people will stop dead in traffic or move to the center median even though drivers are taught in driving school to merge to the right.

“I feel at times that we are inconveniencing them,” Brecht said. “Do we want to sit out there on U.S. 280? Do we want to be running up and down the road? No, but that is part of it. That is what the emergency 911 system is.”

What’s being done 

In response to the reality of the road, Chelsea Fire Department, Cahaba Valley Fire Department, North Shelby Fire Department, Hoover Fire Department, Rocky Ridge Fire Department and Birmingham Fire Department all have mutual aid agreements. 

These agreements allow all the fire departments to get resources to emergency calls more efficiently, especially in the vast coverage area along the U.S. 280 corridor. Wilkinson said many calls on U.S. 280 call for automatic responses from multiple departments. 

To hasten response times, emergency vehicles also have signals on board called preemptors. These devices cause traffic signals to turn green in the direction the vehicles are heading. The preemptors, paired with the automatic aid agreement, are meant to improve the traffic problem, but Johnson said they do not always work. 

Even after the responders arrive, they must deal with traffic en route to medical centers. In many cases, the medical centers are a fair distance from where the accident occurred, which has created a need for centrally located hospitals on U.S. 280. 

To fill this void, two new centers will service emergency situations. Brookwood Freestanding Emergency Room, which will open at the intersection of Highway 119 and U.S. 280, is expected to begin operating in about one year. Grandview Medical Center, formerly known as Trinity Medical Center, is expected to open in 2016. 

Although central hospitals will provide closer medical care, the problem with traffic is still one that responders are forced to deal with on a daily basis. Brecht said it is just something the department will handle as best and as safely as it can. 

His advice in helping reduce response times on U.S. 280? “If you see an emergency vehicle coming up behind you, whether you see the lights or hear the sirens, start merging to the right.” 

What happens when you dial 911?

• The emergency call goes to a dispatch center where the accident is assessed and sent to responders based on location. 
• The location of the incident and the number of injuries is sent to the proper response team, which immediately rushes to the scene. 
• While responders are en route, dispatchers relay any additional information. 
• Vehicles arrive on the scene and the medics on board the fire engine and dedicated rescue trucks assess the situation. 

What the law says

• Keep your distance. No driver may follow the response to an emergency call closer than 500 feet or stop within 500 feet of the authorized emergency vehicle. 

          - Section 32-5A-58

• Move over. You must move over or reduce speed when approaching law enforcement vehicles and emergency vehicles on an interstate or other highway with two or more lanes traveling in the direction of the authorized response vehicle.  When driving on a two-lane road, the driver must move as far away from the authorized response vehicle as possible within the lane and slow speed. 
• Slow to 15 mph less than the posted speed limit if more than 25 mph.
• Slow to 10 mph if posted speed is 20 mph or less. 

          - Section 32-5A-58.2 “Alabama Move Over Act”

• Yield right-of-way. When an emergency response vehicle is approaching (with sirens and lights on), the driver of every other vehicle is required to yield the right-of-way and position their vehicle parallel to, or as close as possible to, the right-hand curb until the responders have passed. 

          - Section 32-5A-115