Any agencies require lights?

[MiFF]

I was curious does your agency or any agencies in your area require members to run lights and/or sirens on pov's? Most departments in my region of Michigan have sog's regarding them but leave it up to members to use them or not. Some allow them but strongly discourage using them and some ban them outright.

There is however one county rescue squad in my region that actually states in the membership applicati ok n that lights and siren are required in povs of members.

I also know in the michigan up there are departments that require lights and siren and also provide the basic equipment to meet state law. I have also heard that troy fire department, the states largest volunteer department requires them and also provides equipment and installation.


Just curious about other places.

 

[Mattdecker]

My department here in Ky allows lights and sirens, but does not require them.

It is also up to us what we have. They don't specify what we must have.

Most of our guys run all interior lights. As far as I know there are only 3 of us who have full size exterior lightbars.

My department doesn't furnish any equipment but some of us use extra stuff that's laying around not being used at the moment.

 

[ShadowSwipe]

In NJ, its all over the place. I don't know of any volunteer organizations that require lights, and only the chief officers of volunteer organizations can get sirens.
It seems to vary a lot but in the busier departments lights tend to be discouraged and the lighting laws are strictly enforced, while in others, it's the wild west and people have lights all over the place, sirens (illegal), and go through red lights. Our department generally discourages the use of them, but plenty of members still have and use them for calls without much trouble. Most people limit their setups to interior lights only, however there is quite a few people that have roof mounted light bars. Usually tends to be on pickups.

I do know some paid organizations though, which highly encourage but do not require lights in your POV, mostly OEM stuff.

 

[jph2]

When I was with Troy Fire, back in the 90s, they provided a magnet-mount roof beacon (can't remember what kind since I ran with my own MiniStealth rooftop) and a 100-watt siren and speaker, but they didn't provide the install. You weren't required to run lights and siren and you didn't have to use their equipment.

If you did, lights and siren were limited to within the city limits and your setup had to meet minimum state law standards. Some people ran what they gave you and some had full-size Edges on their POVs (it was the 90s and that's what Troy had on the full-timer's vehicles).

Since safe operation of the vehicle is always the operator's responsibility/liability, I don't see how a department can require you to run lights and siren if you stay within the traffic laws when responding. In MI, emergency vehicles with lights and sirens request the right of way and other drivers are supposed to yield, but that doesn't mean they always will.

 

[buddek09]

In Ohio it's per department, mainly it's just volunteers departments, and it was mainly lights only. However, towards the end of last year departments were notified that the law was changing at the beginning of this year so pov's have to have lights and sirens to respond.

 

[OSP959(R)]

Wow.

I'm a retired Ohio State Trooper. You've ALWAYS been required to have a siren:

4513.21 Horns, sirens, and warning devices.

(A) Every motor vehicle or trackless trolley when operated upon a highway shall be equipped with a horn which is in good working order and capable of emitting sound audible, under normal conditions, from a distance of not less than two hundred feet.

No motor vehicle or trackless trolley shall be equipped with, nor shall any person use upon a vehicle, any siren, whistle, or bell. Any vehicle may be equipped with a theft alarm signal device which shall be so arranged that it cannot be used as an ordinary warning signal. Every emergency vehicle shall be equipped with a siren, whistle, or bell, capable of emitting sound audible under normal conditions from a distance of not less than five hundred feet and of a type approved by the director of public safety. Such equipment shall not be used except when such vehicle is operated in response to an emergency call or is in the immediate pursuit of an actual or suspected violator of the law, in which case the driver of the emergency vehicle shall sound such equipment when it is necessary to warn pedestrians and other drivers of the approach thereof.

(B) Whoever violates this section is guilty of a minor misdemeanor.

If you want to get really technical, a volunteer fire fighter vehicle actually falls under the definition of Public Safety Vehicle, not Emergency Vehicle. But even so, you can't exceed the speed limit if you don't have a siren, and if you're not going to stick to all the traffic laws and not exceed the speed limit, or safely go through intersections. What's the point??

4511.24 Speed limits not applicable to emergency or public safety vehicles.

The prima-facie speed limitations set forth in section 4511.21 of the Revised Code do not apply to emergency vehicles or public safety vehicles when they are responding to emergency calls and are equipped with and displaying at least one flashing, rotating, or oscillating light visible under normal atmospheric conditions from a distance of five hundred feet to the front of the vehicle and when the drivers thereof sound audible signals by bell, siren, or exhaust whistle. This section does not relieve the driver of an emergency vehicle or public safety vehicle from the duty to drive with due regard for the safety of all persons using the street or highway.

Effective Date: 01-01-1975 .

I'm not trying to be a jerk. I just feel this needs to be clarified.

 

[Tony P]

This will not be allowed to turn in to a lighting law discussion thread. We have one, it gets in to a measuring contest, and unruly fast.

Stay on topic folks.

 

[buddek09]

Indiana volunteers run blue lights, they are not allowed to run sirens, it's also a courtesy state which means that civilians are not required to yield for them.

 

[NEB]

In Nebraska if you're running code you're requesting the right-of-way, needless to say, we're allowed lights and sirens, technically have to have 360 lights, but it's strongly encouraged that you have a siren if you're going to run lights.

 

[MiFF]

I guess i should rephrase the question. Are there any agencies in you area that require members to equip their vehicles with warning equipment. I'm not asking about state laws. Sorry for the confusion.

 

[Evtech161]

We have a few call departments here in eastern Mass, none of which "require"their members to equip their vehicles.. some will hand them a gumball or a suction cup light, but that's it..

 

[Station 3]

When I was a Volunteer here in South Texas if you wanted to run lights you needed 360 with a siren or nothing at all you can add dash lights hide aways and such also as long as you met the minimum of the 360 and siren.