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Comment by Aaron Mandel on February 19, 2011 at 8:38pm

We don't even run siren's on are apparatus! It just makes people do stupid things. Why do I need to blast a siren a 2 am in the middle of the boonies? The Forest Service has a policy not to us sirens fo just this reason. A horn and flashing light work just fine to get threw a intersection.

Comment by frank white on February 19, 2011 at 8:36pm

here in MO we are able to run blue lights only and a siren. Only if the chief gives you a blue card for u to use the lights and sirens. It helps our response time since we are a rural fire dept.

Comment by Russ on February 19, 2011 at 8:10pm

I suugest you check out the laws in the state of Ohio. Vollies have siren priviledges and (speaking for myself only) i have not heard of abuse issues (but i'm sure they exist). i agree with the reasons you are pushing this but i'm sure you're going to have a long road to go and i support your effort. any measure that improves delivery of service to the public is not a bad thing.

i invite some of you that are old enough to remember when "emergency" came out to remember what the reaction was to EMS. In my area of the country the medical community believed that Paramedics was a made up TV title. "only trained professionals should be providing care to the sick and injured, there is no way that volunteers can be trained to evaluate illness, handle drugs and read medical equipment correctly". BOY WERE THEY WRONG!

when AED's came out and we wanted them our local medical community said, no, those firemen cant learn to use them correctly. United airlines ran a local story about having them on their airplanes. we got a picture of one of their jets flying over a firehouse (thank god for firehouses in the approach pattern) and let the local papers run a story of our own, "why is a flight attendant better equipped to deal with a heart attack than the people in this firehouse?" or "chest pain...call united airlines"

Comment by John L. VanAuken on February 19, 2011 at 7:41pm

Here in Idaho we are allowed to have red, amber, or white lights on our pov's not sirens. My dept dose not like the idea of us running lights, due to the liability issue. They tell us to use our 4 ways, I however dissagree, due to someone pulling out in front of me. With the 4 ways on, they probably felt I was going slow or having problems. I do have led lights on one of my pov's, due to it being my work vehicle, in wich it is used for flagging. As well as used for parades and durring funereals, as a motor escort. I do tend to turn them on, if in traffic, and it dose help, a lot more then the 4 ways. I have been told, that most insurance companys, wont cover you, if you are involved in an accident. I however do use them, but with in the law, as well as keep my speeds, with in the legal responce limits. I do have a siren that I hook up for parades, and is not even on my pov till it is needed for the parade. I do not belleive in them being on pov's, just for the reasons stated in anuther post.

Comment by jerry harper on February 18, 2011 at 10:03pm

Trust me I am taking everything into consideration, and to the gentleman that thinks that we are allready able to have sirens, no as of no we are not allowed to have them. The main reason i want to update the law and allow sirens, is for us to have a bigger presence on the roadways. In cape may during the summer we have wackadoo tourist who don't follow the laws of the road, they do not even pull over for the ambulances. There have been numerous times that I have almost been hit by some tourist not paying attention(and not even going to a fire call). So to the guys who don't live in shore towns of new jersey, please think about what we have to deal with: extremely crowded roadways during the tourist season, tourist who do not give a flying crap about ANY emergency responder i.e. cops emts and FF's. Yes I am fully aware of the dangers of allowing the sirens, but you also have the better chance of not getting to the firehouse, i really do not care about making first truck I just want to get there safe, so that I may be able to get home alive to my family and also be able to fight the fire or whatever incident I am responding to. Thank yall for your comments and keep them coming. Sorry if some of this doesn't make sense, I have been up for almost 20 hours.

Comment by Lt. Shane Peterson on February 18, 2011 at 8:52pm

Good Luck in getting that passed. Here in Michigan we are allowed to have lights and sirens on our vehicles. It sure does help as long as you use common sense with them.

Comment by Gary Beam on February 18, 2011 at 5:23pm

i'm in Pa, and recently thought about putting a siren on my truck, HOWEVER, in my station only officers can run sirens and even then, only when they take their pov to scene not responding to the firehouse. I was told when I joined i was only allowed One revolving light on top seen 360`. I noticed that when you get close to people they wouldn't yeild, so I installed a dash light. Now they move alot quicker. If need be I also ride the horn at a rapid pace to get there attention, this works extremely well. I no longer think I need a siren, and I am usually on the first out app. when several others live closer the firehouse. common sense works better then speed.

Comment by Brian Mackie on February 18, 2011 at 1:22pm

Jerry... please trust the comments of the guys who continue to say that a siren is a bad idea.
Consider the fact (among all the other reasons NOT to have them) you have all your members screaming to the station from all directions, (unless by fluke every single member lives on the same street) and blaring their fn sirens the whole way. 1) wtf is the motoring public supposed to think? They don't know where the noise is coming from. 2) within very short order, as soon as people hear a siren, they are going to think..just another whacker playing emergency again" and will NOT yield.
3) the speeds will increase.. because some studies have shown that when the siren is on, it is a natural tendancy for the driver to try and KEEP UP with the siren..therefore the foot goes down.

Put your plan to bed. It is NOT a good Idea. I know that you risk missing the first out rig. That is what it's all about.. YOU want to be first due everytime! Sorry chum.. it stinks. Slow down, arrive alive! It is WHEN you arrive not IF you arrive. k

Comment by Bill Carlisle on February 18, 2011 at 12:49pm

Imagine what the insurance companies will do , whose insurance company pays for the accident ? fire dept insurance? or members own insurance? I'm guessing not the fire departments since POV is not a emergency vehicle , i just see a big liability issue brewing.

Comment by jerry harper on February 18, 2011 at 12:14pm

Yall make very good points for not having sirens on your POV. Chief mike you have pointed out that it might create a ruckus if an accident were to occur. I have an idea on that. In the bill I would require anyone who wants to equip their POV with a siren to first go to a code 3 driving school taught by police officers or proffesional drivers. Then after that they would recieve a 2 year permit for the said siren. If the permitted fire fighter abuses the the siren and puts himself and others at risk, there would be a two strike system, the first strike would be a 300 dollar fine and 2 points on the license, the second strike it would be a 500 dollar fine and license revoked, and or 5 points.

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