Agenda - Council - 02/24/1981 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Estsblish~ent of an emer eec service/railroad co~unicatiOn s s_~y_~ will be teated in glk River, Moorhesd, and Sauk Rapids. The purpose of the system is to circumvent or to minimize emergency vehicle delay at crossings* The system would function as follows: Equipped with a communication device compatible with those used by the emergency service (eog.~ a pagecom or hot line)~ the local rail agent or train dispatcher would be informed of an emergency call that requires crossing the main lineo The agent would determine the necessity and feasibility of changing train operations in or near the community to avoid bl~cktng the predesignated emergency crossing- He would instruct train crews, via the established radio communication system, to change train operations accordingly (e.g., slow down, speed up, or stop). In Elk River, such a system will be established to reduce delaye to the fire service. A 30 percent reduction in fire service delaye at crossinge is expected. In Sauk Rapids, the system will be used to avoid delaye in responding to medical emergenciee, Combined with the establishment of a volunteer rescue squad (described below), it may be possible to eliminate entirely crossing delays in traveling to the emergency scene and in traveling from the scene to the hospital. In Moorhead~ use of the system will focus on eliminating delays in traveling from the scene of a medical emergency to the hospital when a delay may affect patient outcome. The cost of establishing an emergency communicatiOn system is estimated at $1,000 for equipment and $100 to $200 per year for operation and main- As noted, Sauk Rapids will establish a volunteer~t° reduce delays at crossings in responding to medical emergencies. (In , Moorhead, rescue squad service provided by the fire department has been instituted and will be monitored for demonstration data.) A rescue squad consists of people trained in basic emergency medical techniques and 17