McKinley Avenue was reconstructed over the summer with pedestrian safety as the main goal, but because of the design, local officials are now working on new ways to safely respond when emergencies occur.
Firefighters walked through campus Monday to determine how to modify their plans for responding to emergencies.
Ball State Director of Engineering and Operations James Lowe said that while the McKinley construction plans were approved by the Indiana Department of Transportation, the local fire department and other public safety agencies in the area were not involved in the design of the project.
“There are standards we have to meet. There is no requirement to get approval from local safety departments,” Lowe said.
Muncie Fire Department Chief Gary Lucas said changes to the department’s response plans were made to keep any problems the fire department may encounter to a minimum.
The changes include modifying the placement of responding vehicles during an emergency. Before the construction, all fire trucks would drive on McKinley, but now only one of the six responding fire trucks will use McKinley while others stand by for instructions. This, Lucas said, will make it easier for emergency personnel to maneuver at the scene and will ensure that the response time is still at a minimum.
Lowe said the single lane of traffic was designed for the safety of pedestrians, but there is still enough room for two cars to pass if an emergency situation should arise.
“It depends on what kind of cars are involved,” Lowe said. “A Hummer might have to nudge onto the sidewalk.”
Lucas said that the road designers have to meet certain requirements that the Indiana Department of Transportation sets and those standards follow the guidelines so the fire department can respond to an emergency.
Lowe said most of the buildings on campus could be accessed from other routes as well.
Chief Gene Burton, director of Public Safety said when an emergency vehicle is coming, drivers should do their best to pull over in one of the four cutouts traditionally used by buses.
“Using the cutouts is vital,” he said.
In a worst-case scenario, Lucas said, the trucks would use the sidewalk to get to a building.
“The curb is low enough that [the emergency vehicles] would ride on the sidewalk,” George Camacho, construction area engineer for the Indiana Department of Transportation, said. “Ideally, if [drivers] see an emergency vehicle, they should get out of the way as soon as possible.”
Tim Hudson, executive director of Delaware Country Emergency Medical Service, said he does not foresee the new avenue being a large problem for emergency vehicles. He said he hopes drivers will use common sense and get out of the way when they see emergency vehicles.
“Just don’t stop and block the emergency vehicles behind you,” he said.
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