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New York Firefighters- the biggg controversey- THE INFAMOUS CDL REQUIREMENT
so guys, what do you think of that law that requires you to have a CDL liscence PLUS you air brake permit PLUS your tanker permit???? and the best part is is you dont need all these requirements GOING to a call, its COMING HOME!
just wanna kno what your thoughts are......
its caused quite a stir, to say the least, in our hall
just wanna kno what your thoughts are......
its caused quite a stir, to say the least, in our hall
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by FETC on
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been numerous posts already... please try to using the search
oh yea it isn't a very new law
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Permalink Reply by Trevor Wendt on
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oops. lol. my bad. im fairly new to da site so bear with me til i get my feet wet
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Permalink Reply by john houghton on
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It seems to me in our dept. there are two drivers with CDLS . Any one who drives a fire truck is required to take a EVOC course and be certified by the dept. to drive. The way I read the law you could drive to the fire but not back to the station after the fire. I think we all realize that driving is a lot of responsibility and the law needs to be repealed and go back to the way things were.
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Maybe not an actual CDL itself just because of the money (But other occupations require it and they pay a lot less), but I do feel that anyone who drives any type of heavy unit should have specific doccumented certification in that type of rig. We are one of only a few professions where a person is allowed to operate heavy equipment without having to be licensed on that piece of equipment. So why not.
As side note, I bet your garbage truck drivers, and public works personnel have to have a CDL. and they pay for it out of their pockets.
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Why should we be allowed to drive big rigs without a license and everyone else has to have one? A lot of them make less than we do. I truly think that alot people believe that being required to have a CDL puts more liability on them if something happens, and without it they can blame the Department for not training them right.
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Permalink Reply by Eric on
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Think about a vollie with a minimum wage job. For that matter, the department footing the bill for however many members they are trying to train as drivers each year. Now, I'm all for having qulifications and standards and testing of abilities. What I think is a huge problem is when they look at LODD's and injuries due to accidents going to and from the firehouse or the scene. I understand the argument. I'm not arguing with the point they are trying to make. Hypothetically, someone could have all of the driver's certifications in the world, mixed with experience and training and still not truly be qualified to respond a piece of apparatus to an emergency. Don't get me wrong, training, certifications and experience are key components, but if someone has all of that and it goes right out the window once the sirens and air horns are blowing with the lights flashing, the training, certifications and experience have proven nothing. I think that once someone is "qualified" to respond a piece of apparatus through training, EVOC and department standards, their responses should be monitored. Kind of like a driver's probationary period. If they drive like an idiot, they don't get to drive anymore. As always, just my opinion.
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Permalink Reply by Shareef Abdu Nur on
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ERIC, excellent reply. I agree with you 100%. This should apply to all driver/operators regardless of the type of FD(volunteer, full time. part time, private, etc...). Driver/operators whould also have to pass a regular functioning exam and get recertified on a regular basis.
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Permalink Reply by FIRE BEAR on
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well i just moved to new york and where i come from you dont have to have a cdl but we do have to have a course to allow you to drive a fire truck or a ambulance and then it wasnt put on your lic but if your lic was run by the police it would come up on your recored that you had the training and after you got that which was a state course then you had to have 1 year of drive time on all the trucks and ambulances before being allowed to drive with lights and sirens and if you didnt have it and got caught driveing you and the cheif could be fired
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Permalink Reply by Dyke Yeager on
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I think its a good idea. Our township is going to require CDL's by June. The size and weight of some of the rigs is scary.
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Permalink Reply by PFC Harmon on
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DT, in all the CDL post on here I have asked one question and no one has answered it. Why do I have to have a CDL at my day job where I drive a large truck everyday under normal conditions and with a certified mechanic that takes care of everything(tires, brakes, other safety issues), but a vollie firefighter can jump in a large truck (that in all honestly is not properly maintained) and run lights and sirens, under stress,and with the adrenaline rush WITHOUT ANY STATE TRAINING? A standard EVOC class does not go over minimum tread depth, air brakes, stopping distance, and anything about a commercial vehicle it just covers Emegency Vehicle Operations. A CDL is just another certification that firefighters have to have.
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Permalink Reply by Fireyladd - Retired Chief Sharp on
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My feelings exactly Jack.
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Permalink Reply by Trainer on
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Well let’s rehash this one again.
I’m not an OTR trucker, but I do have a class A CDL with air brakes and a motorcycle endorsement, cost me $75 every 4 years which means I can drive anything but a school bus and hazardous materials. In Illinois we have this same law and it wasn’t FF specific, it’s all about truck GVW. If you have a certified instructor doing a certified EVOC class this is sufficient and meets all requirements, or a CDL. If you don’t have either you are in violation of the law not NFPA or any other acronym you can think of no matter if paid of vol. Now if you don’t have either and god forbid you wreck the rig the only thing you are in violation of is not having the training or license, in Illinois it’s a $75 ticket but your insurance company may not pay the claim….want to take the chance??? One other thing worth mentioning is the blood alcohol level; the state norm .08 is cut to .04 with this certification, not that anyone drinks and drives but what did you do the night before?
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