Bay Area traffic creates problems for emergency response teams

PALO ALTO, Calif. (KGO) -- Heavy congestion on Bay Area roads is creating big problems for emergency crews. Traffic delayed fire crews more than 10 minutes Monday while responding to a fire in East Palo Alto. In dispatch calls, you can hear the frustration in the voices of firefighters trying to get to a burning home.

Audio of Menlo Park Fire Protection District communications on Jan. 12, 6:08PM

Battalion 1: "Have you crossed over the 101 yet? How does it look southbound?"

Engine 1: "I haven't made it to 101 yet. We've had heavy traffic."

6:11PM

Battalion 1: "Battalion 1 copies. We're working our way down Bay."

Dispatch: "Do you have an ETA for Battalion?"

Battalion 1: "5 minutes."

The same gridlock commuters face daily is already slowing down emergency crews. Palo Alto's Fire Department says during morning and evening rush hour, response time is averaging 30 seconds longer.

That doesn't sound too serious, until you hear Palo Alto Dep. Fire Chief Catherine Capriles explain the danger of it. She told ABC7 News, "Thirty seconds is very critical when you're talking about the 'golden minute' for a heart attack, for a fire, especially with all of the plastics and different carcinogens that are in homes these days."

Clogged streets also are putting first responders at greater risk. Even though an engine was on-scene at the East Palo Alto fire in minutes this week, it took eight minutes or longer for additional rigs to get through gridlock caused by the Dumbarton Bridge back-up.

Chief Harold Schapelhouman, from the Menlo Park Fire Protection District, explained, "Then it becomes a matter of life and death, it becomes a matter of people losing property, losing more of it. It becomes a matter of our safety for our personnel who are at the call, but they need more help to put the fire out."

Residents are growing worried.

"It's very sad. Yes, we do need our fire department. We do need the help," East Palo Alto resident Margaret Rodriguez said. She says the traffic is not helping.

Communities are not likely to accept longer response time, no matter what the excuse is, especially when it comes to rush hour traffic. Some solutions might be costly, such as building new fire stations. However, the Palo Alto Fire Department has come up with one idea that could save time and money.

For the past week, every fire apparatus and station has a paramedic on duty. That translates into faster medical care in emergencies. Smaller rigs might also be considered.

"Using smaller equipment, like a quick-response vehicle or something that might be referred to as a squad, so it can get in and out of traffic a little bit easier and maybe use some more side streets to get where they need to go," Capriles said.