By Frost McGahey
"My back patio opens out towards the ambulance bay on 32nd Street, and my wife and I are so unhappy with all of the ambulance sirens going off night and day, every day. Honestly, it almost seems out of control. We just cannot believe that each and every time an ambulance pulls away from the facility that it is for a true emergency. We need a tiered system for determining when lights and sirens should be used," a complaint from a Silver City resident.
Besides the startling sound and annoyance of an ambulance siren, there are reasons for not using them every time.
Hearing Loss:
Ambulance noise levels in 60 paramedics was studied over 14 years. The setting was the Ambulance Service of Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis, MN. Mean siren noise was 102.5 decibels (above OSHA guidelines of 90 decibels). Hearing acuity was lower than expected, and hearing loss was faster than for normal peers.
In another study, 192 EMS providers from Houston, TX were tested. The hours of siren noise exposure correlated with decreased ability to sense mid-frequency and high-frequency sound. The rate of hearing loss was 150% of peers.
Collision:
One study compared injuries from crashes of ambulances using lights and sirens (LS) versus those not using them. The resulting injuries was 22.2 per 100,000 versus 1.5 for non-LS travel. Most of the crashes were caused by failure of on-coming traffic to yield. Drivers often have difficulty hearing a siren when it's coming from the side versus straight ahead.
Siren noise effect on Patients:
A German study studied the effects of 54 healthy subjects riding in an EMS stretcher. When they rode with the ambulance driving fast with sirens, the heart rate of the subjects was 30% higher, and blood pressure up 14mmHg higher. Cortisol levels were also higher.
As a former paramedic said, "The usage of sirens can be reduced often by 50%. Other hospitals and municipalities use a TIERED RESPONSE SYSTEM so that every call out does not require lights and sirens."
What the law says:
According to a local lawyer, NMSA 66-7-7 reads that a siren is required if the emergency vehicle intends to use it to disregard a stop sign or traffic lights. If the ambulance is not doing that, but obeying traffic laws – then there is not statutory requirement that a siren must be sounded.
The night time use of sirens can be especially disturbing.
From James Charleston, Executive Director, of the Silver City Theatre:
"Silver City's sirens are surprisingly helpful to the theatre: they invade mid-performance and grant actors a pause to remember—or mercifully forget—their lines; for well-being, they force a collective breath; and to personal reflection, they briefly remind us that mortality, unlike the show, does not always wait for intermission."
It's important to remember the great service EMTs give to the community. As one man who has had to call them several times for a family member said, "I've never been disappointed. They have been patient, kind, very competent, and show genuine concern. I value their help."
