Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Streetsblog USA home
Log In
Streetsblog.net

How Fire Departments Both Perpetuate and Get Victimized By Sprawl

One of the big ironies of the safe streets movement is that a government agency charged with keeping us safe is quite often a major obstacle to preventing injuries and deaths. Fire departments tend to insist on wider streets to accommodate their emergency vehicles. But those wider streets encourage fast driving, which claims a lot more lives in the United States annually than fires.

false

Here's another irony: Bill Lindeke at Streets.mn relays that fire departments are having trouble functioning in the sorts of places where emergency vehicles can travel unimpeded:

I first became aware of the connection between of fire trucks and emergency vehicles when reading Duany, Plater-Zyberk and Speck’s famous book, Suburban Nation. They have a chapter that argues that streets are often made wider than they might otherwise be simply for efficiency of emergency vehicles, particularly large and long fire trucks.

Not only does road design involve a tradeoff between speed and access, everyday safety and emergency safety in dense urban areas, but in the suburbs and exurbs, where houses are spread out, fire response seems to be quite expensive.

A recent piece in the Star Tribune shows how suburban and rural cities are struggling to recruit fire fighters. Apparently, the traditional system set up to run fire stations is beginning to break down, particularly in cities and towns without a great deal of density.

One of the problems, the Star Tribune reports, is that many people are simply too busy these days to take a volunteer position, in part because of all the time they have to spend behind the wheel.

Elsewhere on the Network today: Cyclelicious shares some early propaganda from the American Automobile Association that attempted to lay blame for traffic collisions on pedestrians (it worked). Walkable Dallas Fort Worth attempts to demonstrate just how horrible Interstate 35 has been for the city of Austin. And Greater Greater Washington considers the smartest ways to target suburban growth in Prince George's County.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

Climate Change Is Making Waiting For Transit Worse — And It’s Hurting Ridership

Transit isn't only a key solution to confronting climate change; it's also one of its victims.

March 12, 2025

Wednesday’s Headlines Are About Elon-ed Out

While President Trump tries to pump up Tesla stock prices, Elon Musk wants to privatize Amtrak.

March 12, 2025

How Highways Rend Our Social Fabric — and the Challenge of Mending It

Roads are supposed to connect us. So why do so many highways tear our social networks apart?

March 11, 2025

Tuesday’s Headlines Walk the Line

Pedestrian deaths were trending slightly downward at the midway point of last year, but the trend over the past decade is still terrifying.

March 11, 2025

Massachusetts Lawmakers Are Still Spending Millions to Subsidize Elon Musk’s Car Company

In the three months between Election Day and February 5th (the last date for which data is currently available), Massachusetts taxpayers have sent $8.6 million in direct payments to buyers at Tesla dealerships.

March 10, 2025
See all posts