Fire Police Created Preplans for Large Event Traffic Incidents
By Fire Police Lieutenant Ron Miller
February 15, 2010
The Thorndale Volunteer Fire Company Fire Police have created detailed preplans for detouring traffic in the event of large scale incidents requiring the closure of the Rte 30 Bypass and other major intersections in Caln Twp. The purpose of the preplans is to quickly move detoured traffic onto the appropriate detour routes, provide intersection traffic control, and move all traffic in the most expeditious manner possible. There is an individual preplan for each exit of the Rte 30 Bypass and four other intersections in the township where accidents could potentially create significant travel delays.
Each preplan includes the specific detours to be established, a map indicating where traffic units and fire police should be positioned, and lists the potential problems that can be anticipated at the various intersections along the detour routes. Each preplan also addresses whether the detour routes are capable of handling truck traffic. All of the preplanned detour routes for the Rte 30 Bypass are considered capable of handling most truck traffic.
The preplans have been reviewed and approved by the members of the TVFC Fire Police, TVFC Fire Chief Donald Taylor, and Caln Twp. Police Chief Brian Byerly. A complete set of the preplans has been distributed to all fire police officers, the fire company line officers, and are included in the run books stored on each piece of fire apparatus.
The Fire Police also carry packets of 1" X 3" color-coded emergency detour directions in Traffic 38 for each exit of the Bypass. These can be distributed to drivers as they are directed off the Bypass. The Green detour directions are used for the eastbound exits of the Bypass and the black detour directions are used for the westbound exits. The directions usually include 3 bulleted steps that will put the motorists back on the Rte 30 Bypass at the next available on-ramp. The directions usually direct motorists to follow the green and black detour arrows that you may have seen along the feeder roads to the Rte 30 Bypass that were placed there by PennDOT.
Fire Police Lieutenant Ron Miller and Fire Police Captain Patrick Carmody presented these preplans at the January 2010 meeting of the Chester County Fire Police Association. They also shared the Excel templates used to create the preplans so that other fire companies can generate their own preplans if they choose.
Examples of the Fire Police Preplans
Examples of the Emergency Detour Directions that can be provided to motorists
