In August, the Baltimore Fire Department will initiate a multi-tiered response system designed to save the city money on sending unnecessary equipment on non-emergency calls, reports the Baltimore Sun. Under the new policy, calls will be designated as either hot, warm or cold. Hot calls will be responded to with lights and sirens. On warm calls, the first units will respond as in an emergency while additional units will follow without lights and sirens. Responders will move along with traffic on cold calls.

The policy was created in response to an incident in December 2007 when a rushing truck sped through a red light and hit an SUV.

City council president Stephanie C. Rawlings-Blake, who introduced the system, told the paper that she hopes the policy will reduce the number of times first responders put themselves and other drivers in danger.

Meanwhile, a new policy in Burlington, Ontario, requires firefighters to obey the speed limit when responding to an emergency call due to an increase in fire vehicle accidents. The policy went into effect June 1 and will remain so until at least Sept. 30, the Burlington Post reports. Fire departments also are required to obey parts of Ontario's Highway Traffic Act, which mandates that all emergency vehicles stop at a red light before proceeding through. This policy is in response to a 60% rise in accidents over the last five years.