Increased traffic congestion will make it more difficult to
respond to emergencies if we continue to utilize our
current procedures.
Congestion is a serious problem and will get much
worse. A 10 % increase in traffic will mean a much
greater increase in congestion. We need to develop
innovative ways to respond quickly to fire, medical and
rescue calls. For example, Tokyo has prepositioned fire
and rescue equipment in neighborhoods and
dispatches firefighters to those neighborhoods on
motorcycles. We should consider utilizing schools,
businesses and community spaces as prepositioning
sites for critical fire and rescue equipment. The District
also needs to find ways to respond to medical calls that
do not require the dispatch of large pieces of fire
equipment.
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