Some of us enforce a 25 km/h limit now.
When your car/truck/appliance/helicopter blocks 1.5 of 2 lanes- traffic has not much choice but to crawl past.
Not sure if everyone understands the speed issue here.
Under the Fire and Emergency Services Act 2005, Section 97 (2) (f) CFS personnel have the power to direct or prohibit the movement of vehicles. CFS are not required to use traffic control signs or warning devices - nor does CFS train its personnel in traffic management (as per DTEI's standards). These procedures are further detailed in the Chief Officer's Standing Orders number 9 and Fire Ground Practice 16.1.
So yes, as Boredmatrix mentioned you can stop/direct traffic, as happened with his chopper landing incident. Whilst the responsibility for traffic management lies with SAPOL, as you would know it often comes back to CFS to do the hands on work. If SAPOL are not present and the OIC feels unsafe about the traffic situation, close the road. As Boredmatric mentioned, the safety of crew and patients has to come first.
The issue being discussed here is the 40km/hr past ALL emergency services vehicles displaying red/blue flashing lights or sounding a siren, at all incidents or whilst traveling to an incident. My understanding is this comes under the Australian Road Rules. It's designed to protect ALL emergency services vehicles, including instances where there may be 1 truck/ ambulance on scene and no one free to direct traffic/ do traffic control.
In theory, people should be doing 40km/hr past us at all times on scene, and the new proposal being discussed is to make it 25km/hr default speed past emergency services vehicles.If roadworks have a speed of 25km/hr to protect their crews, why should emergency services be any different. Yes, as we currently see not everyone follows the current 40km/hr, and not everyone will follow the 25km/hr if/when it come into effect - but surely every measure to improve our safety counts. Will be interesting to see what happens.
