"As traffic counts steadily increase on the new segment of Interstate 69 in Southwest Indiana, both the number of emergency calls and the exposure threats to our first responders have increased. When motorists see emergency lights, they have many different reactions. The good drivers slow down, but many times they were going too fast to begin with, dropping their speed from 80 to 70mph and thinking they have really cut us a break. Some will gawk, rubberneck, and try to take cell phone pictures causing them to leave their lane of traffic. Some drivers flat out ignore the incident all together and fail to let off their accelerator or move over. The Petersburg Fire Department used the IPEP Safety Grant Award to purchase sequential electronic smart road flares, collapsible roadway reflective cones to move traffic away from emergency workers. The rapid deployment - emergency scene signage we purchased warns motorists of the approaching emergency scene and instructs them to “Slow Down Now” and suggests a 35mph speed limit. The grant also acquired new high-visibility ANSI Class 2 safety vests for all personnel. This uniformity also helps us identify our own personnel at a multi-agency response. Upgrading this equipment along with regular training to personnel on traffic incident management has allowed us to create the safest work zone possible to protect our firefighters. Thank You IPEP!"
-City of Petersburg
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