Excerpts from evanstonroundtable.com:

From Jan. 1, 2019, through Nov. 5, 2022, the EFD reported 65 accidents involving a city vehicle. The majority of the incidents (58, or 89% of the total) were described as minor, five resulted in some damage and two involved significant damage. 

As part of the budget development process, the Evanston Fire Department has set a goal to reduce the number of vehicle accidents in 2023 to less than 10.

The Evanston Fire Department is making progress toward its goal of reducing accidents. Since 2019, the number of vehicles that have crashed or had accidents has decreased annually: In 2019 there were 20 accidents involving EFD, in 2020 there were 19, in 2021 there were 15, and through Nov. 5 of this year there have been 11 accidents.

Of the 65 incidents, the city’s records classified 50 of the accidents as due to EFD’s driving, while 13 were due to other drivers’ negligence, including three incidents where the driver of the other vehicle fled the scene of the accident. Twenty-five (38%) of the 65 incidents involved engines, 18 (28%) involved ambulances and 12 (19%) involved ladder trucks. The remaining 10 involved other vehicles in EFD’s fleet. 

The first half of the year tends to have a greater number of incidents compared to the second half. Snow, ice and the effects of both on street parking explain part of the difference. Some neighborhoods have particularly narrow streets.

Two incidents were labeled “significant.” One resulted in injuries, both to the firefighters and the driver of the car that collided with the city vehicle. No EFD employees were hospitalized.

In 2012, motor vehicle crashes were the second-leading cause of death for on-duty firefighters. Firetruck crashes occurred at a rate of approximately 30,000 crashes per year, according to data from the United States Fire Administration and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

A survey released in April 2019 by the National Safety Council and the Emergency Responder Safety Institute found “71% of U.S. drivers take photos or videos when they see an emergency vehicle on the side of the road responding to a fire or a crash, or simply making a routine traffic stop. Sixty percent post to social media, and 66% send an email about the situation – all while behind the wheel.”  

Data from a 2021 report for the National Fire Protection Association concluded that “an estimated 15,675 fire department vehicles were involved in traffic accidents which resulted in 550 firefighter injuries and 7 fatalities. Over the past decade, 10 road crash fatalities per year have occurred on average.”

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