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Snow, ice slow emergency responders, too

By Tim Potter
The Wichita Eagle
Copyright 2007 The Wichita Eagle

WICHITA, Kansas. — When driving on icy and snow-packed streets, emergency crews get no magical pass, officials say.

Even when responding to emergencies, crews have to slow down, just as any motorist must to safely reach a destination, Wichita-area officials say.

“Ice is ice — you’re going to slide. There’s no magic to a police car,” said Wichita police Sgt. Brad Agnew, a supervisor with the North Patrol Bureau.

Although sunshine melts away some slick surfaces, as soon as the sun fades “it’s a skating rink again,” Agnew said.

“It can be pretty treacherous and deceiving” to drive in such conditions, he said.

One factor tends to equalize the situation: The bad guys have to slow down, too, or they will quickly spin out of control, Agnew said.

Road conditions slow ambulance responses. But without precise data it’s impossible to say by how much, said Sedgwick County EMS Capt. Mike Brewer.

The challenge gets compounded because EMS units have to use additional caution around other vehicles, knowing motorists can’t stop quickly on slick roadways.

On top of that, EMS crews stay extra busy when road conditions turn bad because they have to react to a higher volume of accidents, Brewer said. It’s why emergency officials ask that people not travel in hazardous conditions.

Some emergency vehicles have four-wheel-drive features and other equipment that aids traction.

The larger fire trucks have the advantage of weight and tire chains.

Still, officials say, even big rigs with traction control can slide on ice or bog down in snow drifts.

Even in good weather, Butler County sheriff’s deputies have the challenge of covering a vast county with a web of rural roads.

So when Butler County roads turn slick, it becomes particularly important for deputies to position themselves in the middle of their assigned areas, sheriff’s Sgt. Kirk Call said.

“That way, they’re not too far away from anywhere,” he said.