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Volunteers with Lights and Sirens
What do you think, should volunteer firefighters be allowed to have and use lights and sirens in their POV ? Should only the Chief an ASST. Chief be allowed to have them ?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Teia Kenyon on
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I feel volunteers should have light's and sirens but if they abuse it they should loose it.
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Permalink Reply by Oldman on
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dash CANNON? I wonder what the recoil would be like?
I had a similar idea, but used a laser designator with a heads up display, and laser guided missiles.
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Permalink Reply by Joe Stoltz on
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Good point... less recoil too. Both approaches have the debris problem, though.
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Permalink Reply by Todd on
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Here in South Carolina as long as the POV meets the applicable state motor vehicle code (short version - 360 degree lighting, two lights or flashers mounted at the highest point of the vehicle and a siren/bell/whistle audible to 500 feet) it is considered an emergency vehicle just like apparatus. Per state law if the vehicle is in motion you must have the siren on when the lights are on.
I've got lights on my Jeep, and I've used them maybe 5 or 6 times this year. One reason is I'm less than 1/2 mile from the station, so it really doesn't save me time and two, it's got to be something major. The majority of the time that I do use them is when I respond to calls with the other station in our battalion. My Captain and I supervise the volunteers at both stations, so I'm typically responding in that role.
IMO if you use lights you should also use a siren. That said, not everybody deserves this privilege because of experience, training, and responsibility. That is an issue that should be addressed at the departmental level rather than with a blanket "Yes" or "No"
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Permalink Reply by Lee Jones on
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Im from Illinois only blues no siren. My personel opinion it comes down to department rules being enforced, proper training and personel responsibility. Were all her to save lifes. If your a all vol or poc department and have to respond to the station you should have lights and a siren. Just like gear scba saws. You should be properly trained to use the tools correctly and safely. My department only staffs the ambulance thats it so the fire response is all poc. Do i use my lights for every type of call heck no. Confirmed structure fire, mabas response, or request for extrication. I have lights 360 all hidden and not visible to the eye. I don't want them seen by the public to attract attention. If i pull on a call which happens all the time I want to be safe and people to see me stopped. People are going to get in accidents just driving with due regard everyday because we have stupid people that panic and dont pay attention to emergency vehicles. Yes alot of stuff can be prevented like i said policy,training and personel responsibilty. I think you should be considered a emergency vehicle and covered under department insurance. Some people shouldnt have the privilage just some people shouldnt be fireman, or fire cheifs. Its all about personal responsibilty and responsibility to the public. Responding codes makes a difference on time its a proven fact obviously if you just walk across the street to the station it makes no sence but like were i live heavily urban with lost of stops signs and stop lights it would make all the difference. it comes down to doing it safely. Be safe out their.
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Permalink Reply by Chief 29 on
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I am mixed on this subject. I am an Asst. Chief at a some what "rural" volunteer company. I have been a member of the same company for over eighteen years, even before that I was there as a child with my father who was active until I turned twelve.In the state of PA as said before in this discusion the Chief and Asst.Chiefs can run red lights and siren as well as the Captain of fire police. All other reponders are allowed to run blue lights only. Our policy is that all members running blue lights are to respond to the engine house not to the scene with the exception of fire police unless you are passing the scene and you have your gear with you. This was done to limit the amount of pov's at the scene. State law does not permit anyone under the age of eighteen to respond using a light and it also requires Jr members to report to the enginehouse, they are not permitted to drive pov to the scene.
I live in town and often would not need any type of warning devices or curtisy lights to respond to the enginehouse that is only half a mile away. Before I became Asst. Chief I ran blue lights on my vehicle and really found no effect on the time of response due to the shortness of my trip. I purchased them for the calls that I was not at home, maybe at the store or on my way home from work etc. The lights did help some but you always have the few that would not see them or not be willing to let you by. I now have red lights and siren but nine times out of ten I do not use the siren in town out of respect for the residents. There is no use for the siren on Main St of a small town with no traffic at eleven o-clock at night so why piss off the neighbors. eventhough the the law states when running red lights you must also use an audible warning device. It is all about using them when needed and not abusing the privledge. The local police in the area would rather let me go with out using the siren then deal with all the complaints if I did use my siren as the law states.
As far as lights and sirens for all firefighters I am just a little uncertain about the confusion it would cause if ten to twenty vehicles were wailing their siren on their way to the engine house at the same time. I believe it would give the public another thing to complain about and at the same time they would more than likley begin to ignore sirens even the ones on our rigs. I just feel the negatives outweigh the posetives greatly on this. From a saftey stand point (the confusion) to the publics perception of how we do the things we do.
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Permalink Reply by John on
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I think that volunteers should at least be aloud to run lights but if you really want to know what I think I think all FF should be aloud to run lights and sirens. Can some one please explain to me what a chief is going to do when he pulls up in his POV or Chiefs vehicle on any type of a call what is he going to do put out a fully involved house fire with an extinguisher or cut the guys door off from his totaled car with scissors. Us FF are just as important to get to the scene, with out man power ur not going to be able to improve anything. On top of that being said a FF can respond from his house in his POV go to the fire house and that same guy jump on a engine and run that with lights and siren. If some one is going to abuse the privilege or use the privilege in a dangerous way what is going to stop him from doing so in a engine or any other fire truck. So i think all FF should be able to use lights and sirens but I do think that they need to complete driver training on how to respond safely and if they do abuse there privilege it can be revoked.
FF Bruce Ross
Indian Falls Fire Dept.
Pembroke Fire Dist.
Pembroke NY
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Permalink Reply by Chris on
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Well here in Texas volunteers can run blue and red as a combination or solid red and they have to have a siren...most dept. prefer you run a blue red combo and a volunteer running lights is considered an emergency vehicle and they have the same rights as any other emergency vehicle. Now I am not a volunteer here any more but I do see the need for them to have them. I mean their response time is already delayed since they are not at the station so why delay it any more than you have to. I don't know why only the chief and assistant chief would be able to run them anyway...what about battalion chiefs? i mean there is only 1 assistant and 1 chief for a dept. in the next county over 19 stations that would be pointless plus their dept. provides them and the batt. chiefs FD vehicles.
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You should be more carefull as to not single out chiefs and going to the scene direct to see what he is being put up against and being able to relay to incoming apperatus what his orders will be for them usually long before the first rig arrives on location. On the other hand I am an Asst. Chief and most of the time I go to the engine house to get on the rig because I feel it is important to have an officer on each truck whenever possible.
What is Joe Blow firefighter going to do when he gets to the scene before anyone else and he has no radio or the ability to even make a comand decision? Being a Chief is not about being able to run lights and sirens! Its about leading, making decisions, being responsible for the actions of all that wok under them. Until you are or have been a chief officer please think before you type. Officers can't do it by themselves and believe it or not neither can you. Lights and sirens will more than likley hamper your ability to get there quicker.
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I was not trying to single out chiefs or any one else for that matter my point I was trying to make is that EVERYONE that is a member of a crew going to any call is just as impotent to have there as the guy standing next to you say you pull up in your engine to a house fire and u have a 3 man interior attack team and your chief, asst. chief or even a captain on scene also but then you realize u have no pump operator then you may have a problem that's what i mean when i say EVERYONE that is going to a call is just as impotent as the guy next to you and I also am not saying to have a FF respond in his POV with lights and siren directly to the call he needs to go to the hall. with that being said it is just as impotent for everyone on a crew to get to the hall to get on a truck to get to the scene as fast and as safe as possible.
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Permalink Reply by jerry baldwin on
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i am a volunteer on a small department here in kentucky. law allows us to use lights and sirens if the lights are not blue as blue are reserved for police personnel. also the lights are supposed to be visiable 360 degrees around your p.o.v. having these in no way grants us any special priviliages as we are subject to the same laws as any other driver on the road. i have lights and siren on my p.o.v. , but to be honest i rarely use them, unless it becomes absolutely necessary. the lights are handy, however, to mark the scene of an incident, should i be the first on scene.
in really disheartens me to see other volunteers (especially young members, although older guys do it too) using lights and sirens in route to a scene and driving and acting in a completely irresponsable manner. i feel that these people give the rest of us a bad name. ultimately, i feel that this issue could easily be made void and moot if fire fighters would use some common sense.
any one who would like to do so has an open invitation to be added to my friends list. stay safe out there and God bless everyone. have a happy turkey day.
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Permalink Reply by Paul Montpetit on
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I would rather go through a hungry lions den with a steak tied to my a_ss than to see lights and sirens on pov's.....The #1 site for Firefighter deaths is POV's....lets slow down and get there in one piece then we can deal with the fire or accident.....sorry but this is my view on the subject.....Paul
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