The city of Calera, Ala., has installed cameras that livestream railroad crossings to give first responders real-time traffic information in an effort to reduce emergency response times, according to a CBS 42 report.
According to Calera Fire Chief Sean Kendrick, an emergency response time “can be delated up to 10 minutes if a firetruck gets stuck as a railroad crossing.” These cameras, CBS 42 reports, feed directly into fire stations and fire trucks, letting them know what roads are blocked and the fastest way to a scene.
“This is a definite game changer for the city. Lives will definitely be saved over time because of this,” said Kendrick, adding that one of the biggest obstacles his department faces is railroad crossings.
“We’ve either been responding to a fire or a wreck or a bad medical call, and we didn’t know the track was blocked until the first arriving unit arrived at the train track,” Kendrick said.
The cameras are located at the Highway 22, Highway 25, 17th Avenue, and 20th Avenue crossings, which Calera IT Director James Fuller says were chosen to “best benefit first responders,” according to the report.
“Prior to this technology, they would turn left out of their fire station, have to come all the way down George Roy Parkway, turn left to go all the way down County Road 22, and they wouldn’t know that crossing was blocked until they topped the hill up there,” Fuller said. “Well, that truck is 43-feet-long, and trying to three-point turn that on a two-lane county road is nearly impossible.”
According to the CBS 42 report, the livestreams are also available on the My Calera app, which is free to download for Apple and Android devices. The city said it “hopes everyone can benefit from knowing whether the crossings are clear.”
