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relationship between highway patrol and the fire dept.
our department has over all had a good relationship with the thp. but latley within the last year or so we have gotten some new troopers and they have a new supervisor. just tonight we had a tractor trailer fire on the interstate. the chief arrives and shuts down the interstate for firefighter and public saftey. when thp arrives he demands that the road be reopened. the tca code says any road in the state can be shut down for saftey buy the highest ranking fire offical on the scene if deamed necessary. i dont see why these new officers cant respect we are just trying to do a good job and control the scene and protect everyone involved, its not like we just go out on any road and shut it down for our health we have much better things to do!!!! are we having this problem everywhere? are our brothers being threatned to go to jail trying to keep our fellow comrads safe? this is an outrage that we should have to put up with sutch garbage from someone who needs to do his or her job and keep the public off of us so we can do ours safley. all i can say is take me to jail but you better have a hell of an atturney and some deep pockets cause im gonna take you to the cleanners if arrested due to shutting the road down!!!!
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Cody Scott on
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We have had some conflicts in the past with our local and county law enforcement. We have a very good relationship with WHP and most of the other Law Enforcement personal. Unfortunately some of the high ranking law enforcement don't think to highly of the FD. The only time we are paged out to an MVA is if a Sheriff unit is on scene and extraction is needed. And don't even think about shutting down the road. Even on a county road thats only used by ranchers and farmers. the road will not be shut down. If chief or the next highest ranking fire official on scene closes it down. Law enforcement will open it back up.
Another time we have trouble is on fire scenes law enforcement leaving at shift change and not coming back to do traffic control. I cant count how many times we have had hoses ran over by rubber necks passing by.
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Permalink Reply by Art "ChiefReason" Goodrich on
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Our LEO in this part of the country are pretty accommodating the year round.
But, I can tell that this time of the year, if we control traffic so they can stay in their warm car and do the report, THEY will go and get US hot coffee and donuts. They have actually done it. I was there. I'm not making this up.
But, the night the beer truck rolled onto its side, the trooper had the bill of lading so fast, there wasn't time to, well, you pretty much know the rest.
You don't have to kiss their butt; but a wink and a nod wouldn't hurt.
Art
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Permalink Reply by Joe Stoltz on
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I have to say that we have a pretty good relationship with the LE community here. We know most of the sheriff's deputies and some of the state troopers as well. They always thank us for our assistance in traffic control and other situations.
If I had to complain about anything it would be that we don't always get the same information that the cops do. For example, in May we got a call for a man who fell 30 feet. We pulled up expecting to find a roofer or something, only to discover it was 30 feet down a waterfall 1/4 mile off the road. LE had this info at the outset. But that's more of a dispatch problem than anything else.
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Permalink Reply by Bill Brierton on
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Generally we have a good relationship with the county and state police. There were a few incidents in the northern part of the county that got heated between the state trooper and a fire chief. I can't remember the exact outcome but if we have a problem we usually try to set up a time to talk and come to an agreement so there aren't anymore problems. My suggestion is to have your chief arrange a meeting with the pd and see if something can be worked out before things get out of hand.
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I only had to call the command center ONE time and requested to talk to the shift commander. The AA tried to direct us to a liaison officer, but I insisted on speaking with the shift commander. Once that was done, we have never had a problem since. Sometimes it just takes airing your concerns in a respectful manner and if it doesn't get better, go up their chain of command. I was prepared to take it to state headquarters if need be. It wasn't needed.
When the same objectives are cited, reasonableness returns.
Art
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Permalink Reply by jeff schick on
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Your not the only one with problems. Are highway patrol is okay but are sheriff's office is another story. If we shut a road down they think the the world is coming to an end. And we dont even have any interstates where were located. heaven forebid things be done safely..................... Duty Dog has to have control of everything. Are deputies even try to fight fires some times, instead if maybe doing crowd control like they should......................... Well I could go on and on........... Good luck with everything.......
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On the other side of our county a car ran into a restaurant, severing the outside natural gas line in the process. A sheriff deputy arrived on scene just before the FD, looked things over and actually went to the truck to get a spanner, which he was going to use to turn the gas off.
The OIC, a well respected man in the area - and a comedian to boot - got in his way and said "HEY! We don't go to your bank robberies and say 'send one car, there's only one gun'... WE'LL TAKE CARE OF THIS!" I think the deputy took the lesson on roles and responsibilities pretty well.
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Permalink Reply by Johnathan Turner on
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We had a similar problem back in the 70s (I think) in our Dept. We're Vollie and these guys are giving their time. We were re-routing Traffic through side streets due to a structure fire. We had an older gentlemen who had some health issuse, but was a long time Dept member. He had blocked off the Entire Southbound lanes and was re-routing through the lower area of town. I live in Ohio, so God help me, but the OSP shows up an tells him he can't do that. An arguement broke out that finnaly culmenated in the Older FF in Charge of Traffic Control beating out his point with a LIT ROAD FLARE ON THE HOOD OF THE PATROL CRUISER. The Following Meeting the patrolman was there and apologised for his actions on the scene. So After that the OSP does their thing and we do ours. We tend to see the same troopers on wrecks, so we have a good working relationship with them. I think its passed down through legend in Our local OSP Barracks, because none of them get too mouthy on a scene. They ask when can we open the lane?, How soon?, Can we let traffic Through on 1 lane? Reeeal Nice like.
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Permalink Reply by David Watts on
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I know here in SC. in my district, We have had a real good relationship with the Highway Patrol,But as you stated they have new blood and they have just come from the Academy and they think there crap don't stink, And they thinkthey know it all. So needless to say we have strayed from being friends with the new guys for right now. You are right. If they say to open the road after you have shut it down. You just tell them ( do not ask them ) to talk to the Chief if they have a problem with he road being shut down. Let the Chief deal with it, But keep the road closed. It is your safety at stake. If he arrest you, which is illegal here, for shutting down the road,Then let him. I do not think he will have a Job for long, And if you want you can sue the piss out of him personally. But I would not do that because that would give all fireman a bad name and it would make it hard to work with the other Patrolman. Well, I have to go. Talk at ya later.
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In all we get along with all the departments, But there are some like you said that just stay away from the area because there is not much going on in our district. The new sheriff lives in our district and He used to be with the Highway Patrol and we have noticed more Highway Patrol, But Im talking we might see them 5 times a week. Only when we have a MVA do we see the HP. LOL. The Sheriff's dept. do not handle Accidents here. And yet we see more deputy's. Anyway,got to go.
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Permalink Reply by reece on
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we had the same expierence with our new thp officer, we had two car mva we had people on both sides of the street and i shut the west bound lanes down and he tells me to open it up, and i just said that when my guys help ems load the patients so that we can get on one side of the street we would he said ok then he came back and told me to move our truck as i am lifting a patient on a long board to the stretcher, so what can you do you dont want to make them mad because we do have to work together, the same trooper also said to use an axe on a dog than had been hit by a car because he would not let one of my guys put it out with his gun but that would be another incident. we do have a good working realationship with most of the thp around here but there is always one that is out to prove himself
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Permalink Reply by Chris "Firewalker" Davis on
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Altho it is wrong, you have to understand that new law enforcement officers (leo's) alot of the time think they are the cock of the walk because they have a badge and a gun. Leo's do not understand the fire side of things because they look at scenes from a diffrent aspect than we do. What needs to take place, if this is a growing problem, is the cheifs need to get togeather with public saftey, ems, and the head of the local THP post and have a meeting and discuss things. Being the professionals that they all are suspose to be, they should come out of that meeting with an understanding on each others place at any scene. If I were you, I would use my chain of command and push the idea of a meeting.
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