Northpinellas: Device changes firefighters' ride

SAFETY HARBOR -- Screaming sirens and blaring horns have long been an effective way for Safety Harbor firefighters to clear the road on their way to emergency calls.

Crossing intersections has been another story.

"During peak periods it's very difficult to get across intersections," said Safety Harbor fire Chief Jay Stout. "It's real tough and dangerous for the firefighters and the citizens."

Now fire and city officials hope a new system -- one that allows firetrucks to change traffic signals during emergency calls automatically -- will take some of the stress out of rushing to emergencies.

For about two weeks the Opticom Priority Control System has been up and running at the intersections of McMullen Booth Road and Main Street and McMullen Booth and State Road 580.

So far, fire officials are happy.

"It's a real morale-booster," Stout said. "Now they can have a little more time to think about what they're doing on the call instead of worrying about getting across intersections."

City leaders hope to have Opticom equipment installed at three more intersections -- McMullen Booth and Enterprise Road, McMullen Booth and State Road 590 and SR 580 and SR 590 -- by the end of 2004.

Here's how it works:

As a truck approaches an intersection, infrared transmitters mounted on the Fire Department's five vehicles send signals to an L-shaped receiver connected to the traffic light.

The signal, which can be received from up to 2,500 feet away, will then turn the light for the emergency vehicle green while stopping traffic in other directions.

City officials hope the $36,000 it will spend to install all the devices around town will allow safe passage for emergency personnel through busy intersections while reducing the risk of a motorist driving into the path of an oncoming firetruck.

"Driving patterns are changing," said City Manager Wayne Logan. "When you start reading about vehicles not yielding and not allowing us to keep a good response time I think it's worth the investment."

So far more than 120 Opticom devices have been installed at intersections around Clearwater, Largo, Tarpon Springs, East Lake, Palm Harbor, Oldsmar, Pinellas Park and Dunedin, and more are planned.

Dunedin, for example, installed 11 last year and is waiting for the county to equip eight more intersections in the coming months.

"It's really helped in our major intersections," said Dunedin fire Chief Bud Meyer. "When we approach the intersections people see the light turn red and are yielding.

"We don't have to go into the oncoming lane and we don't have to dodge people," he added. "It's absolutely wonderful."

But perhaps the most impressive feature of the Opticom system is that the signals from emergency vehicles are recognized at every intersection equipped with the device.

"As soon as the vehicle goes through the light, (the traffic signal) will immediately go back to normal operation," said Ken Jacobs, signal operations manager for Pinellas County. "That seems to have the least negative impact on traffic."

Because the county is responsible for most traffic signals around Pinellas, its traffic department has been installing the systems for cities first-come, first-served.

But the process has been somewhat slow, Jacobs said.

For one, he said, there is high demand but a limited number of workers available to hook up the systems. Second, county officials want to make sure such widespread use of the system does not disrupt traffic.

"For us it's a balance issue," Jacobs said. "We want to help emergency services. We just want to make sure it doesn't have a negative impact on traffic."

-- Leon M. Tucker can be reached at (727) 445-4167 or tucker@sptimes.com .

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