Please remove the illegal traffic light spycams while you're at it.

The problem is not the traffic lights. The problem is large vehicles parked on the street near intersections, which really limits the ability of car drivers to get out of the way of emergency vehicles and limits the ability of emergency vehicles to make turns. How about banning vehicle parking along El Camino and other major emergency routes? Or at least ban parking within 30 yards of intersections.

The vast majority of emergencies are not fires, which means you don't need to get a massive fire truck down the road; you need to get a first responder capable of handling most non-fire emergencies.

Paramedics on motorcycles would go a much longer way than trying to manipulate traffic to save 30 seconds for a fire truck, to the detriment of pedestrians / cyclists / cross-town commuters.

See also: Web Link

Since they've previously installed some of these, why is there no mention to their effectiveness, value and problems?

Something about this seems like it won't solve the problem, and I like what MP Resident suggests. Consider a firetruck approaching, in traffic, and the light turns green when it's 50' away? This sounds more confusing than anything for drivers who aren't from this area, especially. For those who are, it sounds like another unnecessary extravagance that could best be used in another way.

Ensuring that primary emergency response routes are designed and maintained so as to permit timely emergency access is the responsibility of the cities, the county and CalTrans that own those roads not the responsibility of the Fire District.

That being the case, Peter, I would assume (assume nothing!) that the involved parties would most certainly look at all options to remedy the congestive situation and mostly confer with fire departments for said areas.

It may well have come up as an issue by a fire department.