Anchorage residents may clamor for speed bumps to slow traffic in neighborhoods, but for firefighters rushing to burning buildings or heart attacks, speed bumps are a headache — sometimes literally.
"You hit your head even with the seat belt on," said fire marshal Cleo Hill. "It's pretty physically jarring to the staff inside the engine company."
In 2016, a change in fire codes gave Hill new authority over speed bumps, which are especially hard on big, fast-moving trucks — and the occupants inside. Hill has been flexing her power on proposed projects. As a result, city traffic engineers say, Anchorage speed bump construction has been halted.