Emergency Responders - Federal & State Laws
All states have similar laws governing the operation of emergency vehicles, with local variations. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has developed a training course for operating emergency vehicles that incorporates guidelines established by federal highway safety laws.
It's important for drivers to remember to approach highway-rail intersections with the same caution that you would use at any other type of traffic intersection. This includes drivers of emergency response vehicles such as ambulances, fire engines and other rescue vehicles.
After a firefighter driving a tanker truck was killed in a collision at a highway-rail intersection in Kentucky, investigators with the NIOSH (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health) Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program concluded that, to minimize the risk of similar incidents, fire departments should:
- Ensure that drivers of fire department vehicles come to a complete stop at all highway-rail intersections posted with passive warning devices (no gates or lights) during emergency response or nonemergency travel;
- Revise or develop standard operating guidelines (SOGs) for safely driving emergency vehicles during emergency response and nonemergency travel addressing hazards fire fighters are likely to encounter, such as railroad crossings;
- Enforce polices that require that all fire fighters who ride in emergency fire apparatus are belted securely by seat belts;
- Provide fire fighter training on railway traffic safety in communities such as this where a high density of railway traffic exists.
More information on this incident and NIOSH's recommendations can be found here.
Links
Below are some links to state policies and regulations regarding the operation of emergency response vehicles at highway-rail grade crossings.
New York State
Ohio
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