Photo by David Jackson The driver of a fuel truck was killed when the vehicle caught fire and exploded on an on-ramp of Interstate 476, the "Blue Route," in southeastern Pennsylvania.
But for the dozen fire departments whose coverage area it traversed, Interstate 476 carried predictions of accidents, fires and hazardous materials incidents. So as concrete was poured, firefighters got busy too. Their mission: to fight for a roadway equipped with fire suppression enhancements that would help them do their jobs better. From that concern grew a model plan that responders can use when they face highway development in their first-due areas.
Delaware County, which borders Philadelphia, needed a major highway. The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) came up with several designs and named them with color labels. The "Blue Route," as Interstate 476 came to be called, would snake through some of the toughest terrain in the county. Much of the 21-mile highway sits in hard-to-reach valleys or is suspended high above grade. Massive sound barriers make most of the highway inaccessible.
As plans progressed, firefighters knew they needed to develop a consensus over how to make the roadway safer. They formed the Blue Route Fire Protection Task Force, a coalition of fire chiefs representing the companies slated to respond to incidents. "We had serious concerns about access, auxiliary systems and emergency notification," said Springfield Township Fire Marshal Lee Fulton, chairman of the task force.
Questions included how water would reach the roadway. What level of response would be required for motor vehicle accidents and fires? Where were good staging sites for hazardous materials incidents? What emergency medical support was needed? The task force used National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 502, which addresses limited-access highways and elevated roadways, as a guide.
The task force drafted a "wish list" of priorities including a dry standpipe system at key overpasses and interchanges. It requested call boxes at one-mile intervals on both sides of the highway so stranded motorists did not have to cross traffic to summon assistance. Mileage markers were necessary in identifying the location of incidents. But the task force went a step further, directing them to be placed at one-tenth-mile intervals for more accurate locations.
Photo by David Jackson From concerns expressed by local firefighters when the road was built grew a model plan that responders can use when they face highway development in their first-due areas.
Construction enhancements like emergency vehicle cut-outs in the center of highway dividers would allow apparatus easier access to and from incidents. Because sound walls isolate much of the roadway, access panels, through which hoselines and tools could be passed, were added to the list. Special fire protection signage, labeled in a universal color of blue for easy identification, would alert responders to the location of the standpipes, access panels and the other enhancements.
Reaching a consensus over fire protection issues was a hurdle in itself but gaining the political support to muscle through the enhancements was an equally imposing challenge. The task force wrote letters and lobbied elected officials on the state and federal levels. Local and county government leaders were urged to draft resolutions recognizing the task force as a legitimate entity.
"Officials saw that we were united and concerned over this highway," Fulton said. "It established our credibility so when we went to the state, our range of support was apparent."
As Interstate 476 neared completion in late 1991, firefighting enhancements dotted the highway, After an intense battle, PennDOT agreed to fund the standpipe system. But the festive ribbon-cutting on a cold December morning left firefighters hot under the collar. Delays with subcontractors resulted in an incomplete, non-functional standpipe system.
Firefighters hoped this primary defense would be in place as thousands of motorists crowded the highway for symbolic first rides. They wanted the system up and running before opening day so they could acclimate to it and run tests free of speeding traffic but it took several months for the system to be completed and tested. PennDOT assisted the fire companies by providing detour signs and traffic control so testing on the busy highway could be done safely.
While the task force was successful in mounting a winning fire protection campaign on the highway, they could not have foreseen the problems off it. A variety of problems surfaced quickly on the secondary roadways that intersect the highway. These "feeder" roads were constructed as moderate use roadways in the 1920s and were expanded to two-lane highways in mid-century. Now they were being tapped to accommodate burgeoning traffic for the year 2000. These roadways intersect the Blue Route at huge interchanges with multi-level overpasses, ramps and cloverleafs. To adapt the roads to their new neighbor changes were made that affected responders. Water mains were re-routed. Hydrants were removed and not replaced.
In Ridley Township, a hydrant was removed from the entrance to an apartment complex and not replaced. The oversight left the complex and a major section of highway unprotected until lobbying forced its replacement at the interchange next to the standpipe system.
Photo by David Jackson Firefighters move in on a van fire on Interstate 476 in Ridley Township, PA. This has become a common "Blue Route" incident, according to local fire companies.
Nearby, the primary hydrant for that complex was moved across a secondary road that was then divided with barriers to manage traffic. When serious fires strike the complex, four lanes of traffic now must be shut down to accommodate hoselines. Miscommunication between the water company and a curbing contractor caused that hydrant to be placed too far from the roadway to accommodate hookup to a pumper. It took many months before the situation was rectified. In nearby Nether Providence Township, where many homes were demolished and some streets closed or re-routed, another hydrant was removed and not replaced.
Handling Incidents
A multi-company response from each direction has been effective in handling Blue Route incidents, according to Thomas Murray, chairman of the task force's Suppression and Response Subcommittee. Under the plan, the first company arriving on-scene handles the incident, even though it might not be their jurisdiction. "It's worked out well, no one has been territorial," said Murray.
In Marple Township, the Broomall Fire Company averages six Blue Route incidents a month. About half of those responses were for vehicle accidents with only 5 percent requiring extrication. Most of responses occur at interchanges, where motor-ists adjust speed responding to traffic lights and also negotiate the myriad of ramps that funnel traffic over and under the highway. The Springfield Fire Company, which handles a central portion of the highway, responds to about 75 incidents per year.
"It's put a pretty good demand on us," said Chief John Gallagher.
In Ridley Township, the merge from Interstate 95 onto the Blue Route has resulted in numerous accidents with some fatalities. Twenty miles away at the busy Interstate 76 interchange in Montgomery County, large-scale incidents have overtaxed responders. Chief Dennis Frankenfield of the George Clay Fire Company blames poor ramp design relating to exit speeds and lack of signage on an increase of accidents in his first-due area. He estimates his company averages about 50 responses a year to the web-like interchange. Most calls are for vehicle fires and accidents.
In 1995, a tank truck carrying liquid carbon dioxide overturned, forcing a major evacuation. In another incident, a load shift on a produce truck exiting a ramp caused it to overturn. In 1992, a fuel truck caught fire and exploded, killing the driver.
While PennDOT denies a need for any ramp re-design, it did adjust the grade on one ramp after an accident. PennDOT also has installed additional reduced speed signage, appropriately labeled with the outline of a truck tilting over.
Another problem at this interchange is caller confusion over where incidents occur. With 14 ramps tying together two major highways, reporting a location remains an inexact science. Responders frequently must interpret algorithmic-like directions during dispatch. "Sometimes it's easier to just look out my window for smoke before I leave the house," said Frankenfield.
Did the Blue Route Fire Protection Task Force make an impact on the highway? Fulton looks on his group's effort as a positive one that will certainly affect future generations. In the case of any project that affects the public and fire service, Fulton said it simply: "It's time to stop being reactive and get proactive."
Because most of the departments that respond on the Blue Route never operated together prior to its construction, the campaign also forged new fire service relationships. Said Fulton: "They were positive relationships based on a mutual concern."
Joseph Louderback, a Firehouse® contributing editor, served as editor of the FDNY's Publications Unit and as a government affairs reporter. He is a 19-year member of the Milmont Fire Company in Milmont Park, PA, and conducts media relations programs for the fire service.
