About 2 years ago out village board banned all members except Chief and Asst Chiefs from using red lights in their POV's inside the village limits while responding to the station(We do not allow anyone other than the officers to respond to the scene in private vehicles). Now we have had a couple complaints about outside the limits, so now seeing they are on the clock(so to speak we are volunteers) for the village as soon as the pager goes off the board is going to ban them for all firefighters outside the village(again except for the Chiefs). I'm looking for other dept or governing boards policys and protcols.
In my state you are allowed to run lights and siren, you have to have both on when responding to the station or the scene.The lights must be visible at the highest point 360.Only the chief can release a new member to run lights and siren after they are trained in pov response and understand the sop's and laws.I would check your state laws before deciding anything.sop's have to be reinforce, you don't want a randy the rescuer to cost you everything!
I always read the law when it pertains to me or my actions but I got a headache reading Texas' Transportation Code. One section does state blue is for police only then another says differently, go figure. I read that sirens, bells and exhaust whistles(old school) are legal for VFFs also. TCSS
Maybe you need to approuch you village board and ask them if they want some sort of rules for use of lights by other members of your fire company other than the chief. For one safe measures for use of the lights. If you have members that drive like a bat out of hell then there should be some control over that. I have ridden with people who got behind the wheel of a emergency vehicle and try to part traffic like water. I have been thrown around the back of a ambulance by people who would get right up behind other cars and have those cars stop dead in front of the ambulance. I am glad they never hit anyone but the patient, anyone else and myself took a beating in the back.
I learn in my driving to give the other drivers some distance and use my warning devices as best as I can to move them before I get close to have them stop in front of me.
Permalink Reply by FETC on September 18, 2009 at 4:06pm
FIrefighter Close Calls just posted a POV accident with use of just a light when requiring light and siren. As far as our jurisdiction, my vfd told me way back, that his light/siren card authorizing his volunteers only authorized us in our own town. Never seen it in written law though...
In NC Red lights are the only lights that can be ran for Vols, and that's with dept approval. Blues is strictly forbidden unless your Law enforcement. as far as sirens go, that's a chief/assistant chief tool. so def look up state laws, bc thats the overlying factor, but can be restricted further by depts.