departments when placing traffic calming devices. Then, I found that in California, we have specific regulations that apply to traffic calming devices. The California Fire Code Section #503.4.1 titled Traffic Calming Devices says, “Traffic calming devices shall be prohibited unless approved by the fire code official.” It appears that this approval requirement applies to all roadways, both public and private. I started to find more information that showed traffic calming devices can have a negative effect on emergency response times. Emergency vehicles need to get places fast to fight fires and care for sick and injured people. Speed bumps not only slow down the emergency vehicle, they can physically jar first responders and their equipment and can interfere with life-saving efforts like CPR. The Institute of Transportation Engineers estimates about 9.8 seconds per speedbump is added to emergency response times because of the trucks need to slow down. Considering the size and weight of a fire truck plus the 500 gallons of water they carry, requires them to slow to a complete stop before they can maneuver a common neighborhood speedbump. Multiply the number of speed bumps in your community by the 10 second measure and that will tell you how much additional time it will take for help to arrive. Firefighters will tell you that seconds matter when you are talking about life and death situations or an erupting fire. The Los Angeles Times reported (1999) that some neighborhoods have been ordered to remove speed bumps. The upscale gated community of Coto de Caza removed speed bumps (about a dozen) from its major streets after fire officials said the traffic-slowing devices were hindering efforts by firefighters to quickly respond to emergencies. This was after the fire department threatened them with misdemeanor charges. Dove Canyon, Coto’s neighboring community, also was ordered to remove speed bumps. Subsequently, Orange County Fire Authority added language to the fire code
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