ORLANDO, Fla. – After two recent incidents involving drivers hitting fire engines that were responding to crashes, the Orlando Fire Department has announced new roadway safety procedures.
The new changes are effective immediately and apply to crash responses on high-speed roads and highways such as Interstate 4 and State Road 408.
The changes are shutting down two additional lanes of traffic on roadways and high-speed highways, adding an additional suppression unit 150-200 feet upstream from the blocking assignment that is angled in a way to slow incoming traffic away from the crash scene, placing cones between the crash and the upstream blocking unit and requesting an additional Orlando Police Department unit upon dispatch.
Orlando Fire Chief Roderick Williams said that roadways and highways are some of the most dangerous scenes for emergency first responders and he hopes these changes will help keep them safe.
"We are here to a job , but we can't do our job if we're injured," Williams said.
On Sunday, a vehicle slammed into an engine that responded on I-4 to assist a disabled vehicle, according to authorities. The impact pushed the engine 8-10 feet forward and caused injuries to four firefighters and two civilians.
Orlando firefighter Edward Spyrides was in the backseat of Engine 5 when the crash happened.
"We got back into the engine and we were waiting for a Road Ranger to show up. All sitting in the cab when the engine got hit," Spyrides said. "It was like a sudden bang and the whole cab moved forward."
That incident marked the second since Dec. 21, 2018 when a vehicle rear-ended a fire engine on State Road 408, causing minor injuries to that driver and three Orlando firefighters.
"We are fortunate and thankful that these situations did not result in more serious injuries to our personnel. The safety of our members is my highest priority as fire chief," Williams wrote in a memo to the department.
The chief said he doesn't want to shut down traffic, but it has now come down to this.
"Our goal is to keep cars, keep traffic going, but if it means saving our firefighters lives, we will shut the road down," Williams said.
Spyrides returned to work for the first time after the crash on Friday. He said he will be more cautious now while working scenes on high speed roadways and hopes this new policy will keep firefighters safe.
"Is it worth saving a life to slow down your commute by five minutes? I think so," Spyrides said.