Watch above: Twice this past weekend, trains tied up traffic in downtown Saskatoon leaving many to wonder what would happen in an emergency. Joel Senick finds out how first responders manage to maneuver around the city.
SASKATOON – MD Ambulance is set to equip its drivers with mobile data devices that will provide updates, in real time, on traffic disruptions and intersection closures in Saskatoon.
“The mapping is key for our people so that we can see best routes, alternate routes,” said Troy Davies, director of public affairs for MD Ambulance.
The devices will cut down on radio chatter between dispatchers and paramedics, according to Davies.
“For us, it’s just a direct line of communication,” he added.
The system can be updated to show an intersection that is blocked for a number of reasons, including construction or a travelling train, said Davies.
Saskatoon’s many rail crossings have slowed down first responders in the past. Data from 2014 indicated that trains travelling through the city could be impacting response time.
READ MORE: Train derailment worries Saskatoon residents
However it’s not always a moving train that can cause a backup on Saskatoon’s streets. This past weekend, Canadian Pacific Railway malfunctions caused traffic delays at 33rd Street East and 3rd Avenue North twice. On Saturday the intersection was blocked for roughly an hour as a train was unable to move due to mechanical issues.
“We regret any inconvenience this may have caused local residents,” Kevin Hrysak, a spokesman with CP Rail, said in a statement to Global News.
On Sunday, the same area was cut off due to a signal system error, according to CP officials.
“Time is everything,” said Davies, who added that ambulance drivers must wait at train crossings like everyone else.
“Every minute that someone’s in cardiac rest they lose about a 10 per cent chance of survival,” he said.
Davies said if an ambulance is stuck behind a train on its way to a call, another vehicle can be deployed from another area of the city. It’s a similar measure the Saskatoon Fire Department uses when dealing with the same issue.
“We have nine fire stations that are placed very well within the city,” said Morgan Hackl, the department’s assistant chief.
“We can then respond to a call from both directions if need be.”
Hackle said the department is also looking at new technology in order to better navigate Saskatoon’s streets. One idea is to have rail crossing arms automatically send an electronic notification to fire dispatchers when they go down.
“Then the dispatchers know that if a call comes in, they have to think about sending apparatus from both sides of the tracks or possibly the opposite side of the track from where they would normally send out the call,” said Hackl.
A mobile system that is similar to what dispatchers use when they receive a call is also being implemented in Saskatoon’s fire trucks, however Hackl said it has yet to be totally perfected.
Technology may play a key role for both groups of first responders in the near future; however the spokesmen added that the men and women who navigate the streets know the best routes in the neighbourhoods they serve.
“Typically our people kind of know the hot spots, what’s good, what’s not,” said Davies.
“At this time, everybody’s part of that team in making sure we know the address and where they’re going,” added Hackl.
“The firefighters do quite a good job really of map study and knowing their districts.”
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