# Trains and emergency vehicles **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 7, 2008, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trains-and-emergency-vehicles/459176 "2008-08-07T16:01:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2008, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trains-and-emergency-vehicles/459176/1 "2008-08-07T16:01:45Z")
I apologize if the question seems a bit silly, but the thought just occurred to me. In areas where longer freight trains run frequently, do the police, fire trucks and ambulances have a method for dealing with avoiding being stuck? Do they specifically plan routes to emergencies that avoid such intersections? Do they have to turn around and find a way around if they happen upon a train? Or do they have to sit and wait for the train to pass like everyone else? I don’t recall ever having seen an emergency vehicle stuck at a train crossing before, and I ride the train daily, so I’m just curious. ---
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2008, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trains-and-emergency-vehicles/459176/2 "2008-08-07T16:37:36Z")
[QUOTE=Asimovian] I apologize if the question seems a bit silly, but the thought just occurred to me. In areas where longer freight trains run frequently, do the police, fire trucks and ambulances have a method for dealing with avoiding being stuck? Do they specifically plan routes to emergencies that avoid such intersections? Do they have to turn around and find a way around if they happen upon a train? Or do they have to sit and wait for the train to pass like everyone else? I don’t recall ever having seen an emergency vehicle stuck at a train crossing before, and I ride the train daily, so I’m just curious. [/QUOTE] It happens, you shut down the lights/sirens and wait for the train to pass. ---
**Author:** ![Turek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/turek/32/18782_2.png) [@Turek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turek)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2008, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trains-and-emergency-vehicles/459176/3 "2008-08-07T16:45:46Z")
[QUOTE=drachillix] It happens, you shut down the lights/sirens and wait for the train to pass. [/QUOTE] [Short thread from a couple months ago](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=472263&highlight=ambulance) ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2008, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trains-and-emergency-vehicles/459176/4 "2008-08-07T17:13:36Z")
[QUOTE=Turek] [Short thread from a couple months ago](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=472263&highlight=ambulance) [/QUOTE] Thanks for that. So much for my “original” thought. ---
**Author:** ![St.Urho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8e7dd6/32.png) [@St.Urho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/St.Urho)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2008, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trains-and-emergency-vehicles/459176/5 "2008-08-08T04:57:48Z")
[QUOTE=drachillix] It happens, you shut down the lights/sirens and wait for the train to pass. [/QUOTE] Depending on the length of the train and where our other ambulances are, we might send another ambulance. It just depends. In smaller areas, with fewer resources, deployment is often based on having units on both sides of the tracks. St. Urho Paramedic ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2008, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trains-and-emergency-vehicles/459176/6 "2008-08-08T05:00:01Z")
The short answer is: substation and/or mutual aid. ---
**Author:** ![3waygeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/e95f7d/32.png) [@3waygeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/3waygeek)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2008, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trains-and-emergency-vehicles/459176/7 "2008-08-08T15:54:07Z")
[QUOTE=Asimovian] I apologize if the question seems a bit silly, but the thought just occurred to me. In areas where longer freight trains run frequently, do the police, fire trucks and ambulances have a method for dealing with avoiding being stuck? Do they specifically plan routes to emergencies that avoid such intersections? Do they have to turn around and find a way around if they happen upon a train? Or do they have to sit and wait for the train to pass like everyone else? [/QUOTE] I heard a NPR story a couple weeks ago about one of the inner suburbs of Chicago that had lots of rail traffic. They had to equip and staff three separate fire stations to provide suitable coverage for the town’s 19,000 or so residents; normally a town of that size could get by with one.