Safety has certainly been a buzz word on this campus in the past two years. However, oversights during the McKinley project suggest that safety is just that, a buzz word, rather than an actual concern.The narrow lanes and new median of the renovated McKinley Avenue have generated concerns over emergency vehicle access, causing the fire department to revise its emergency response plan for several campus buildings. While the reconstruction has inarguably increased the aesthetic value of campus and the safety of pedestrians, the safety of students and employees inside the buildings remains in question.When planning the McKinley Safety Improvement project, directors (ironically) put safety on the back burner by meeting state standards without asking for input from local emergency workers. However, the local fire department, too, needs to find and test more reasonable solutions to its limited access along this campus artery.For some buildings on the west side of the street, a worst-case scenario emergency would involve fire trucks driving up the left lane of McKinley — against traffic — hoping cars will be able to get out of the way, with riding on the often-crowded sidewalk as the only alternative. Also, a firehose would have to stretch across both traffic lanes to reach the nearest hydrant. We’re no experts, but common sense exposes the numerous possibilities and what-ifs that, if not addressed, could lead to more-than-necessary property damage, at best, and student or employee harm, at worst.With the given solutions, the fire department is simply assuming no emergencies will happen along McKinley during heavy traffic or when students are on the sidewalk. That’s just hoping for the best without preparing for the worst.But, really, tossing around buzz words and placing blame don’t solve the problem, and the road is here to stay. All emergency and university personnel can do now is work together to lay down feasible response plans and practice them thoroughly — like elementary school fire drills. It might be cliché, but we’re better safe than sorry.
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