This is a simple awareness post that in my opinion, can be very useful for half the countries fire departments at a minimum... Only 43 out of 50 states have the option to purchase specialized fire department vehicle license plates for their personal vehicles. In many cases, money spent for these special license plates are earmarked for specific charities or things designed to help out fallen firefighters families. For those 7 states that do not have a vanity plate for firefighters, I ask why not? Again, this is another way to get both recognition in a quiet / non-emergency lights and whacker looking vehicles kind of a way. And you might be able to help someone out. Just a thought...  


Another option that to be frank, surprised me was the lack of dedicated license plates identifying volunteer firefighters. Only New Mexico appears to have a license plate that is for volunteer firefighters. Considering that the majority of firefighters are volunteer department related, seems to me that this would be appropriate, but that's just my opinion. Chances are, you might not have even thought about it until now... And, maybe folks might not want to be differentiated from volunteer verses full time paid, not that it really matters. What's your opinion?


Bonus Question: Which states do not have firefighter license plates?


TCSS, 

CBz


The following states (43) have firefighter license plates.

  1. Alabama
  2. Arizona
  3. Arkansas
  4. California
  5. Colorado
  6. Connecticut
  7. Delaware
  8. Florida
  9. Georgia
  10. Hawaii
  11. Idaho
  12. Illinois
  13. Indiana
  14. Iowa
  15. Kentucky
  16. Louisiana
  17. Maryland
  18. Massachusetts
  19. Maine
  20. Maryland
  21. Michigan
  22. Minnesota
  23. Mississippi
  24. Montana
  25. New Jersey
  26. New Mexico
  27. New York
  28. Nevada
  29. North Carolina
  30. Ohio
  31. Oklahoma
  32. Oregon
  33. Pennsylvania
  34. South Carolina
  35. South Dakota
  36. Tennessee
  37. Texas
  38. Utah
  39. Virginia
  40. Washington
  41. West Virginia
  42. Wisconsin
  43. Wyoming

There is of course a chance that my research was not exactly thorough. I admit it right up front, but this is as good as I can do without additional input from others. Please let me know if your state is already providing the option for firefighters to purchase firefighter vanity plates.














































  




 




 















Note: Thank you "PL8MAN" Buddy Harris!  Please note that Buddy is trying to complete his collection of fire department license plates for real...   Click here to see more license plates, but none of the ones that are still missing from this discussion post.


Updated: April 10, 2010


Views: 12892

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Ralph, You and I are going to have to get together one day. I am a misplaced Michigander and a lot of what you have posted brings back memories of what I remember when I was responding in Michigan.

I have the Arkansas Firefighter Memorial tag


These are all the Arkansas tags
Ohio has a generic firefighter plate for volunteer firefighters and a Ohio Association of Professional Firefighters with the IAFF logo for the career guys. A letter from the deprtment or Union is all you need.
Maryland has a volunteer tag sponsored by the Maryland State Firemen's Asso. Some volunteer departments have their own tags made by the state for members of their department. Those tags would have the department's patch design on the tag.
Each year books comeout with dept names, tag numbers and members names and issued during the state convention.
Virginia even has a Rescue Squad or EMS tag for the separte rescue squads not connected to a fire company.
Tags have to be inventoried every year to weed out old tags or members no longer involved in a dept or transfered to another.
I live in palmersville,tn and we have firefighter plates here also for rescue squad but I do not think that the money goes to any charity just goes right back to the rich folks in nashville.
Pennsylvania also has a plate same set up as the one you have displayed but instead of the firefighter cross and pf it just has ff and underneath the numbers it just says fire fighter
Having a plate is all about an organization or person with the will to push the issue until it is accomplished. I Washington the Washington State Council of Fire Fighters (the organization of IAFF locals in Washington) did the work and it happened beacuse of the political work the WSCFF does. With political friends in Olympia they made it happen. I would add that you have to be a dues paying union firefighter to have the plate in Washington, unless fire chiefs still pay their union dues they cannot have one.
North Carolina also has fire and rescue tags.

Jeeze BZY! I know your getting old but Bro, better check your facts better. LOL!!
CBz I don't know if you were interested in hearing from north of the border but if you are,the province of Ontario has Firefighter plates available..........and WHO YOU CALLING OLD RALRH ........I hear your plates are fossils LOL
I know Ron, but it's the only place from Mass. that I could find... Hawaii is the same. The only plate I found was from back in the day... Does Mass. have FD plates? Later buddy and thanks for your input.

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