PERRYSBURG TOWNSHIP, Ohio — Three Ohio fire departments are working together to keep their crews safer while responding to highway incidents.
Toledo News Now reported that the Rossford, Maumee and Perrysburg (Ohio) Township fire departments have joined in a mutual aid agreement for incidents on the Ohio Turnpike. Perrysburg Township Fire Chief Tom Brice says the agreement is needed because of how first responders get to emergencies on the turnpike.
Chief Brice says the practice of a fire truck entering a turnpike, turning around in the median and traveling back the other direction is dangerous. The Ohio Turnpike Commission has asked responders not to use the turnarounds, according to the report.
“It’s certainly something we’re going to try to avoid for safety reasons, but if push came to shove, and we absolutely had to use them, we can work as a team to control traffic and use them,” said Brice.
The departments have mapped out areas of the turnpike each will cover.
Perrysburg Township and Maumee will each respond to crashes on about five miles of turnpike, while Rossford crews will cover about a one-mile stretch, according to the report.