Submitted by randyellis on December 14, 2009 - 1:06pm.
Just heard on the scanner that an ambulance was in route to the Swan Pond area on a call the electronic signs did not state there was a train on the track and the ambulance preceded and once it approached the tracks there was a train on the track and the ambulance then had to turn around and go all the way around.
Submitted by randyellis on December 14, 2009 - 2:31pm.
I have also confirmed a few weeks ago there was a house fire in the Emory Heights area which is Midtown Vol. Dist. the sign also said no train on track and there was when they got to the crossing. So they had to re-route around. As any Swan Pond resident can tell you there are times when the signs say no train on tracks and there is and sometimes when it say there is a train on the track there is not.
I like this question I asked about the train crossing!
When I asked Steve McCracken why the guards stop traffic for at least five minutes before the railroad crossing arms come down. And his response was "the guards may be stopping traffic sooner than necessary, but i'm not sure why." What an answer from the person that is suppose to be in charge over there!
I too hope the medical emergency was a life or death situation.
As we all know, this is the time of year when most house fires occur. What is going to happen when there is, God forbid, another fire that completely destroys a family's livelyhood? Or what if there is another medical emergency when just a few minutes could mean life or death?
I hope there is a way the TVA "minds" can fix this problem immediately.
Submitted by revpeg on December 14, 2009 - 6:18pm.
from Midtown go to the tracks and have to turn around last Friday--and it was in emergency mode. Did not make me feel at all secure about our fire protection in Swan Pond. How long, O Lord?
Submitted by WhitesCreek on December 14, 2009 - 7:44pm.
Randy,
Someone shared your blogs with me and I’d like to tell you what I do know about the ambulance incident on Swan Pond Road today. We are still investigating what happened, but from what I understand, the TVA Policewoman on duty tried to flag the ambulance driver down to let him know she was getting the train moved. She had seen him coming and had called the train engineer to move the train off the tracks; the engineer was in the process of stopping the train to do that when the ambulance driver turned around. We are in the process of checking with Roane County EMS to find out why the ambulance driver turned around.
Our protocol on the site is that when an emergency vehicle approaches the Swan Pond train crossing and the road is blocked by a train, TVA Police officers who are manning the intersection are instructed to call the train master and have the train either pulled off the tracks or separated so the emergency vehicle can pass by.
Although these alternatives can possibly take a minute or two to complete, it is less time consuming than having the emergency vehicle reverse its direction and drive around. Also, the train arms can easily be lifted or down by the time you get from the sign to the tracks, especially if you are going the speed limit. I realize the ambulance was moving faster than that, but the train on the tracks today was a very short one, so it could have happened after he passed the sign.
When I know more, I’ll let you know.
Katie
Katie Bell Kline
Senior Manager, Community Relations
Tennessee Valley Authority
I hope the medical emergency wasn't life or death.
I have also confirmed a few weeks ago there was a house fire in the Emory Heights area which is Midtown Vol. Dist. the sign also said no train on track and there was when they got to the crossing. So they had to re-route around. As any Swan Pond resident can tell you there are times when the signs say no train on tracks and there is and sometimes when it say there is a train on the track there is not.
I like this question I asked about the train crossing!
When I asked Steve McCracken why the guards stop traffic for at least five minutes before the railroad crossing arms come down. And his response was "the guards may be stopping traffic sooner than necessary, but i'm not sure why." What an answer from the person that is suppose to be in charge over there!
Randy Ellis
randyellis@gmail.com
I too hope the medical emergency was a life or death situation.
As we all know, this is the time of year when most house fires occur. What is going to happen when there is, God forbid, another fire that completely destroys a family's livelyhood? Or what if there is another medical emergency when just a few minutes could mean life or death?
I hope there is a way the TVA "minds" can fix this problem immediately.
from Midtown go to the tracks and have to turn around last Friday--and it was in emergency mode. Did not make me feel at all secure about our fire protection in Swan Pond. How long, O Lord?
Peggy Blanchard
Swan Pond resident
Randy,
Someone shared your blogs with me and I’d like to tell you what I do know about the ambulance incident on Swan Pond Road today. We are still investigating what happened, but from what I understand, the TVA Policewoman on duty tried to flag the ambulance driver down to let him know she was getting the train moved. She had seen him coming and had called the train engineer to move the train off the tracks; the engineer was in the process of stopping the train to do that when the ambulance driver turned around. We are in the process of checking with Roane County EMS to find out why the ambulance driver turned around.
Our protocol on the site is that when an emergency vehicle approaches the Swan Pond train crossing and the road is blocked by a train, TVA Police officers who are manning the intersection are instructed to call the train master and have the train either pulled off the tracks or separated so the emergency vehicle can pass by.
Although these alternatives can possibly take a minute or two to complete, it is less time consuming than having the emergency vehicle reverse its direction and drive around. Also, the train arms can easily be lifted or down by the time you get from the sign to the tracks, especially if you are going the speed limit. I realize the ambulance was moving faster than that, but the train on the tracks today was a very short one, so it could have happened after he passed the sign.
When I know more, I’ll let you know.
Katie
Katie Bell Kline
Senior Manager, Community Relations
Tennessee Valley Authority