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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 Derrick Daniel on
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Im currently a Volunteer who is only allowed to use "scene lighting" I think it should depend on the persons personal driving history. Has to have no speeding violations etc. Also train them and tell them that if they get caught speeding or being reckless they will no longer be able to run lights. It always seems that when a call goes out you get in behind someone going 20 in a 55. Im guessing some people would take chances to pass that they would not normaly take. If they had lights the 20mph car may just move to the side and everyone is safe. Lights dont mean you can speed they just mean move out of the way this person is off to help someone. In our town the SO will still pull you over for excessive speed even if you are running hot...Lets not forget what percentage of firefighters are volunteers. It also lets the Police know you are there to help when you arrive on scene and not just some idiot driving up the side of the road to get around traffic. I've been told the way our FD determins who uses lights is based on tenure, training time, a captains signature, letter of insurance coverage to run lights and finaly a state certification sticker. A key issue is that the POV still has insurance coverage in the event they are running lights if involved in an accident. Just like traveling salesman that work for risk smart companies are sometimes required to buy additional commercial insurance for their cars. I have heard some companies will drop your insurance if they find out you are running lights without informing them and some just won't insure POVs with lights at all.
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Permalink Reply by Kirk D. Baughman on
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as a vol. i don't have lights or sirens on my pov. we have a few people that have them on their pov's. i think it should be up to the deperment that you are on and what their sog's states.
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Permalink Reply by Skunk on
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To be honest, I could think of many Volunteer FF's from my own department as well as others I do not care to be on the road with having lights and siren on a POV ..
It is not allowed here in OK ..
Just my opinion..
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Permalink Reply by shawn on
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here in PA if u have red lights and sirens, you are allowed to register your car/truck as an emergency vehical. Blue is a curtousy light only.
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Permalink Reply by Cody Baker on
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Great Topic. In our community we can have both as our volunteers have their vehicle registered. We can have Red/White lights and a siren. If your vehicle is not registered you may lose your Red Light. and your siren will be Jerked
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Permalink Reply by steve on
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in my area it is all officers are allowed to run both lights and sirens. but along with that we have to run certian insurance and 360 lighting.
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Supposedly a study was done on pov with lights compared to pov without lights and the response time difference was supposedly 2 minutes or less difference quicker with lights.. i have no facts or links to prove this but have always heard it..might be urban legend lol
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Permalink Reply by Brian Evans on
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Yes but 2 minutes is a lot when you are dealing with fire. Every minute counts when you can have another truck on the road
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yep 2 minutes is alot , but hard to explain that with goofballs with povs and lights running over LEOs on motorcycles or wrapping their emergency lit Ford Focus around a light pole..
I am really neutral on this more less but after seeing in various discussion groups around the net numerous kids showing off their lights in groups etc it surely needs some regulation as alot oft 18yr olds aren't responsible enough to mow the grass much less have 1500 bucks worth of lights and sirens on their rice burner lol
To many stories like this from Firehouse forum http://forums.firehouse.com/showthread.php?t=77029
The green Dodge Neon coupe with the flashing blue light on the roof just didn't look right speeding through red lights on LaGrange Road in Palos Park.
A curious Palos Park police officer pulled over the car as it turned onto 123rd Street at 60 mph.
Before the officer could even amble up to the coupe, the driver — Christopher Dudley, 26, of Tinley Park — thrust a gold-and-red firefighter's badge out the window, according to the police report.
Dudley explained he was a volunteer Hometown firefighter rushing his pregnant, sick girlfriend to the hospital, the report said.The Palos Park officer was skeptical, but escorted Dudley and his girlfriend to Palos Community Hospital.
Once they arrived, the officer asked Dudley for his driver's license and firefighter credentials. That's when Dudley's story started falling apart, police said.
Dudley admitted he isn't actually a firefighter, police said. In fact, he hadn't even been to the academy. Really, he had merely applied for a job in Hometown a few months ago. He hadn't heard anything since he submitted his application, the report said.
And to many pictures and videos like this
if a Suburau come up behind me running hot I am sorry he is going in the ditch and I will just drive on to jail lol
if a Suburau come up behind me running hot I am sorry he is going in the ditch and I will just drive on to jail lol
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Permalink Reply by Blake Haun on
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In tennessee if you run emergency traffic you must have red lights AND siren. One is not to be used without the other, this includes volunteers, fire and medical apparatus and law enforcement(blue lights for law). when running emergency traffic, you must use due regard, stop at all intersections, etc
I am a volunteer and our chief has prohibited the use of emergency lights and sirens on personal vehicles. This regulation was set before i joined 3 years ago. i do agree with it though. we are a full volunteer fire/rescue department with around 20 members that cover the southeast part of our county and run an average of 2 calls a day. when the tones go off we all go to our vehicles and respond to the station and then pick up the apparatus and respond to the call.
some joining departments near us run Emergency traffic in pov's. i am not downing anyone who does. im just saying that when you put lights and siren on a personal vehicle it leaves alot of room for mistakes. since this regulation has been set in place, we have had 0 injuries when responding to calls, town members do not call the station to complain about those who are running with emergency traffic, it allows you to drive safely to the station and be able to think about the scene on your way there without your thoughts being drowned out by sirens. we of course, run emergency equipment in the apparatus. a fire engine is very heave and not easy to stop quickly.
as i have said, im neither for or against it. however just remember that we didnt cause the emergency, we are only trying to help. when emergency lights are used in pov's it can at times cause more harm or more possible accidents than not. firefighting and ems is much more than lights and sirens, thats just my input on it.
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Permalink Reply by Jeff Rollins on
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Ever heard of the Vennessa K. Free, evoc drivers course? If you are going to respond emergency traffic to a call, you should have lights and siren operating. If you use one you better use the other. I don't know about other states, but in Tennessee you have to take the course annually if you are intending on driving an emergency vehicle.
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