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Sections & Units
Our Mission:
"To optimize public safety
in the City of Calgary"
Traffic Section
Give Us Room To Work
Police, Fire and EMS agencies from across Alberta, in partnership with the Alberta Motor Association and the Alberta Centre for Injury Control and Research, launched a provincial traffic awareness campaign to promote proper driver response to emergency vehicles on Alberta's roads.
The campaign, "GIVE US ROOM TO WORK" reminds Alberta drivers that they must yield to emergency vehicles, even in the heaviest traffic.
There were 675,020 registered motorized vehicles in Calgary in 2002. About 20,000 more vehicles are added to Calgary roads every year.
In the face of this heavy traffic, Calgary emergency personnel responded to almost 250,000 emergency calls last year. In many of those calls, lives are on the line.
Pull over, stop and wait
It can virtually be a matter of life and death that emergency personnel get through. Pull over, stop, and wait until it is safe and all emergency vehicles have passed before proceeding. Remember, there may be a second emergency vehicle following the first one. A police car can easily be concealed behind an ambulance or fire truck and not be seen.
What to do if you are approached from any direction by an emergency vehicle with its siren on:
- On most streets, with traffic flowing in both directions and lanes divided by a yellow line, drivers should pull to the right and stop.
- On one-way streets or streets divided by a median, drivers should move left or right to the nearest curb.
- At a red light, drivers should slowly and cautiously pull into the intersection in the direction of traffic.
The fine for failing to yield to an emergency vehicle with its siren on is $172 and three demerit points.
By reacting quickly yet calmly, all drivers are in a position to assist emergency vehicles to quickly and safely reach their destinations. Emergency personnel require the assistance of every Alberta motorist.
Common driver errors that can impact the response time of an emergency vehicle include:
- Failing to pull over to the nearest curb or median.
- "Freezing," believing not moving is the safest action.
- Not completely stopping when pulled over, unaware an emergency vehicle may need to turn directly in front of them.
- Inattention caused by things such as cellular phone use or loud stereo systems.
The next emergency a police vehicle, fire truck or ambulance is responding to could be for you or someone you know.
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