FDNY Says Speed Bumps On S.I. Are Slowing Response Times

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FDNY Says Speed Bumps On S.I. Are Slowing Response Times

 

July 19, 2005

When it comes to fighting fires, Staten Island has the highest response time in the city. As NY1’s Amanda Farinacci explains in the following report, the FDNY believes one bump in the road is the deliberate bumps in the road. 

A fire truck rushing to a call is forced to slow down to go over a speed bump. 

“It's a concern for the community,” says FDNY Staten Island Borough Commander Assistant Chief Thomas Haring. “If you have somebody who's speeding up and down the street and as you look for a method to control it, we found it was having a negative impact on our responses.” 

How much of an impact? The FDNY tested its response time on two streets, one with bumps and one without. 

On South Avenue, with no bumps, an ambulance, an engine and a ladder raced up the street as if they were responding to a call. It took the ambulance about 27 to 30 seconds to go three-tenths of a mile, the engine and ladder about 45 seconds each. 

A block away, on a stretch of Arlington Avenue with three bumps, the ambulance took about 17 seconds longer, the engine roughly 24 seconds longer, and the ladder a whopping 39 seconds longer. 

“It's almost a complete stop because what happens is the weight of the vehicle and the size of the bump, it's compounded,” says Chief Haring. “If you know how you're affected in a civilian vehicle, the trucks handle that differently.” 

Ambulances deal with a different set of issues - getting patients to the hospital fast but also making sure they arrive in one piece. NY1 rode along, slowing down dramatically over the bump, and it was still a shaky ride. 

“When you hit that bump, if you're on that stretcher, at any speed you'd be bounced out of the stretcher,” says Chief Haring. “So they have to come almost to a complete stop also for the safety of the patient.” 

There are 144 speed bumps on Staten Island. If you want one, you have to write a letter to your Community Board, which will then forward the request to the Department of Transportation, which in turn will send an inspector to the site to see if one is warranted. 

The FDNY is hoping its test showing increased response times in speed bump areas will at least give people pause before requesting one. 

For its part, the DOT says it has taken the FDNY's findings to heart, and will look into the possibility of removing the speed bumps on Arlington Avenue. And when it comes to future requests for speed bumps, the agency said in a statement: “The DOT will continue to consult with emergency service agencies before making a decision about whether to install one.” 

Meantime, the FDNY is going to continue to take the bumps in the road with stride, and do its best to get there fast. 

- Amanda Farinacci