Bend railroad crossings, traffic delay emergency response times
'In emergency situations, every second counts.'
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- As just about every Bend resident knows, the city is growing rapidly, and that means both railroad crossings and heavy traffic can affect response times for first responders -- a critical element of saving lives and property.
On Friday, a southeast Bend resident told NewsChannel 21 he watched as one fire engine had to wait for a train to pass. Bryce Riekkola was on his morning commute when he said the fire engine with lights and sirens going was stopped at the railroad crossing on Reed Market Road.
Riekkola claims the fire truck waited for at least five minutes before continuing to its destination. He says as a nurse, he recognizes that in emergency situations, every second counts.
"You're talking about EMS response times, police response times -- the hospital right now, we're at capacity almost every day," Riekkola said. "So when you're trying to get people in, every second counts. It's to the point where it kind of clicked in my head today, when that train goes by, it's not just backing up Reed Market, but Wilson and Revere (avenues)."
Bend Fire & Rescue Battalion Chief Jeffrey Blake said as the density in the core areas of town increases, they have to be more creative with particular routes when responding to situations.
Typically, fire department responders try to avoid areas where railroad tracks cross the road. But that's become much harder when responding on call because of the traffic, and sometimes it's based on a judgment call.
"For the future, we are anxiously awaiting the traffic infrastructure improvements, especially with the transportation bond," a $180 million measure headed to the May ballot, Blake said.
"We're anxiously awaiting the Murphy Road crossing over the railroad tracks, because that will help us in the southeast section of town, which is where most of this growth is going on," he said. "It's also going to require, as the town continues to get bigger, we're going to have to put more units on the road, in more concentrated areas."
Blake says when responding to emergency and non- emergency calls, responders travel in pairs, to minimize the impacts of possible delays along the way.
