Joel Kom, Calgary Herald
Published: Saturday, November 01, 2008The $700-million west leg of the LRT could cause a 96-second delay for fire trucks trying to leave a southwest station, but the city has come up with a plan it believes will nullify the delay.
A report going to a city committee next week says the street-level LRT crossing at 17th Avenue and 45th Street S.W. could "negatively affect" emergency crew response times when trying to leave the hall via that intersection.
An estimate put the delay anywhere from two seconds to 96 seconds, saying moving trains could hold up fire trucks as they head to an emergency. "That would be a problem," said Barry Dawson, a fire department spokesman.
But Dawson said the department, the city and Calgary Transit have come up with a solution.
If a fire crew needs to leave the station, it can press a button that will hold trains at nearby stations and let fire trucks breeze through.
"Our expectation is it will be negligible in terms of the impact (on response times)," Dawson said.
Fred Wong, the director of Calgary Transit, said trains already moving when the button is pressed will keep going, but that shouldn't hold up fire crews.
"The train will pass quickly, and then the fire truck can go," Wong said.
Fire crews aim to respond to fires within seven minutes 90 per cent of the time and to medical emergencies within six and a half minutes 90 per cent of the time.
The same city report found no significant impact from the west LRT on police and ambulance response times.
The report did say the city will have to make sure emergency crews can reach the underground Westbrook station without too much delay, adding plans need to be crafted to deal with crime or emergencies that arise at the station.
jkom@theherald.canwest.com
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