Burns EMTs allowed emergency lights on scene

Citing excessive risks, Burns Town Council member denied a request that volunteer EMTs utilize emergency lights in their personal vehicles Monday.

Council Member Dennis Bastian said he’s “done the math” and concluded that having emergency lights in their vehicles wouldn’t make a substantial difference in response times for Burns EMTs.

“If you run the numbers, the amount of time saved is not worth the risks,” Bastian said. “It would be measured in seconds, not minutes.”

Bastian noted that EMTs would only travel about 10 mph over the speed limit if they were allowed to use...