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Non-emergency Traffic Control
For many years our Fire Police have done non-emergency traffic control for civic organizations and groups within the community, for everything from parades to marathons and 5k and 10k walk/ runs, as well as closing streets for festivals and other fund raisers.
We perform these types of duties for two primary reasons: first of all it releaves the local police from having to tie up manpower and equipment, often for hours at a time. Secondly it is excellent PR for our Fire Police Unit. The theory is really quite simple: the more the public sees you performing your duty, the more supportive they are and the more receptive they are whenever your Fire Police go to the community for help.
Is your FP unit involved in non-emergency community activities ?
We perform these types of duties for two primary reasons: first of all it releaves the local police from having to tie up manpower and equipment, often for hours at a time. Secondly it is excellent PR for our Fire Police Unit. The theory is really quite simple: the more the public sees you performing your duty, the more supportive they are and the more receptive they are whenever your Fire Police go to the community for help.
Is your FP unit involved in non-emergency community activities ?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by St Wood on
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Hey Bob, Yes our group is involved in everything you laid out there and that keeps us pretty busy. We are getting in the planning stages for the 4th coming up in town. Its a 2 day thing that turns our town of 4000 to about 50,000. We have 4 miles of beach roads and 1 bridge to get everyone around on. It gets insane but we are there doing it with a smile. We have a parade on Saturday then the Fire works that night and thats when it all breaks loose, it will take 2 or more hours to get everyone out of town and we can go home. The worse thing will be is when there is a wreck and everything will stop (go Figure huh). But it is like you say, we are out there and everyone will see us do what we do. It gets a lot of intense at times but mostly it all comes and goes without a hitch. That is whats nice about our PD is that they trust our people and can just do there job without that worry wether its just a run or walk or traffic accident. Its a long weekend but we all look forward to it. Thanks for the comment Bob.
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Permalink Reply by Bob Kinne on
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We did 22 events last year from May thru October (winters in Northeastern Pa. are not condusive for parades and outdoors festivals). Our biggest is the city's annual Pioneer Nights in the middle of August ... four nights of partying in front of city hall on Main Street, with a big parade on saturday of that week.
Every evening at 6pm we set up our barricades blocking off a three block section of Main St. and the cops pull them down when all the drunks go home after midnight. We have a PR display booth we set up every year at the festival promoting driver safety and info on Pa. state motor vehicle codes dealing with emergency zones and the state "Steer Clear Law".
Our biggest problem with all the events we handle is when some idiot approaches us two days before their event, wanting Fire Police to direct traffic.
We just can't make some of these people understand that they need to give us a least a month's advanced notice in order to allow our members to make plans to work the event AND to recieve offical permission from the city for us to do it. Pa. state law prohibits Fire Police from directing traffic in non-emergency situations unless it has been per-approved by our governing municipal enetity (city, borough, or township).
On all our events we always coordinate very well with the city Police and we have earned their respect and trust in all matters. emergency and non-emergency situations. -
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