SPEED TABLE ENHANCEMENT

January 28, 2009

 

 

ATTENDEES:  Ed Call, Gary Erikson, Jo Nelson, Fred Nelson, Frank Fox, Barb Fox, Daria Nelson, Hugh Tucker

 

 Bauer Meeting Update

Ed provided an update about the meeting held with Commissioner Bauer and the three chairmen that represent the various speed table groups.  The cross connector road is “dead”, as the cost to build the road is approximately $35 million.  Mr. Bauer has asked Ed and Brad to put together reports that show dollar figures for their respective group’s recommendations.  Once that information is complete, the three committees of the whole will meet to discuss how to approach the community with the information.

 

Emergency Response

Hugh Tucker joined the group and gave a very moving speech explaining his 40+ years in the fire service. He’s a retired Battalion Chief from Los Angeles and has witnessed many gruesome events.  Hugh’s concern, in this issue, is for the safety of the community and feels very strongly that every second counts when emergency services are responding to emergency calls. He informed the group of the procedures for emergency responses in Hansville.

 

Medical Emergencies

Hugh wants everyone to know that Hansville’s Fire Station is staffed with only two EMT firefighters. They are our first responders, trained and equipped to provide only BLS (Basic Life Support) on medical emergencies. Medical emergencies requiring paramedic ALS (Advanced Life Support) are dispatched from the closest AVAILABLE paramedic resource which is normally the Miller Bay Rd. Fire Station in Kingston.

 

Fire Emergencies

In case of FIRE emergencies where firefighters must enter a burning structure, safety laws require a minimum team of two firefighters with an additional two-firefighter team backup in position before entering for rescue. In cases of imminent life danger requiring immediate rescue, the backup team can be reduced to one firefighter.

 

Since there are only two firefighters assigned to the Hansville Fire Station, by law, they MUST wait to enter the structure until backup firefighters arrive from the Kingston Miller Bay Rd Fire Station and hopefully they’re available.

 

Hugh’s recommendation to the current tables would be to install “cushions”, which are a type of speed table that allow emergency vehicles to straddle the tables.  Ideally, flat surfaces are the best conditions for emergency responders; however, Hugh would be satisfied if the speed tables were modified to cushions like those used in Kirkland and Federal Way.

 

Committee Report

In order to complete our report the following tasks were assigned:

 

Ed Call – researching photo radar – waiting for cost estimates for equipment and investigating time frame for legislation to be passed permitting photo radar in Kitsap County

 

Jo Nelson – will discuss with Kitsap County Sheriff the possibility of getting more enforcement for the area either with the County or through the Port Gamble Tribe.

 

Hugh Tucker – will write proposal for speed cushions

 

Gary Paulson – will provide cost estimates supplied by the County for re-engineering the tables

 

 

Once Ed has all the cost information, he will schedule to meet with Mr. Bauer and the other chairmen.  The “enhance” group will meet again after Ed’s meeting with Mr. Bauer – tentative date for our next meeting is Monday, March 2, 2009.  The meeting will be at the Hansville Store at 7 pm.