Admin-02 - Use of Emergency Warning Lights on Personal Vehicles

Mount Pleasant Volunteer Fire Department

Standard Operating Guidelines

Subject: Use of Warning Lights in POVs SOG # Admin-02 Initiated 01/01/2021 Approved: Fire Chief Ed Cullifer

Purpose

To establish a policy for the use of emergency warning lights in privately owned vehicles that are owned and operated by department personnel while responding to emergency incidents.

Guidelines

1.    Emergency red or red/white warning lights on privately owned vehicles operated by department members should meet the requirements of Florida Statutes 316.2398.

2.    A Red-Light Permit must be obtained from the Chief’s Office before any member operates or possesses an auxiliary warning light on or in their privately owned vehicle.

3.    Personnel may utilize “red light(s) or combination red and white flashing light(s)”. In accordance with Florida Statutes, emergency warning lights must be visible from the front and rear of the vehicle.

4.    The use of any other types of emergency warning devices such as a siren is prohibited on privately owned vehicles.

5.    Department owned or County provided Chief Officer vehicle(s) are considered authorized emergency vehicles by Florida Statutes, and as such may be equipped with roof lights and sirens.

6.    Personally owned vehicles are not considered authorized emergency vehicles under Florida Statutes.

a.    Personnel must drive with due regard for the safety of themselves and all other people on the road and pedestrians.

b.   Department personnel are still bound by all applicable traffic laws and can be stopped by Law Enforcement and cited for any inappropriate behavior and violations including, but not limited to

i. Excessive speed and/or reckless driving while responding to an incident with emergency lights activated.

ii. Failing to stop for a stop sign or red traffic signal.

iii. Failing to yield the right of way.

7.    The Red-Light Permit is issued to the individual member and member vehicle(s) only and must be renewed annually.

a.    The use of emergency lights and the subsequent operation of the vehicle by any other person is illegal.

8.    Mount Pleasant Volunteer Fire Department falls within the Gadsden County Fire Service. Personnel are permitted to use emergency lights, in Gadsden County, while responding to an incident provided that the Mount Pleasant Volunteer Fire Department is responding to such incident.

a.    Emergency warning lights will not be operated on personally owned vehicles outside of Gadsden County.

i. The exception is if Mount Pleasant Volunteer Fire Department is providing mutual aid to a surrounding county. Emergency lights are authorized to respond to that county. (Paragraph 9 still applies)

9.    Mount Pleasant Volunteer Fire Department personnel will only be authorized to utilize emergency lights (Red or Red/White) in their personally owned vehicles to respond to the Fire Station or to the incident location, whichever is closer.

a.    Personnel should never pass the station while responding to an incident, unless

i. Directed by a Chief / Line Officer, the Incident Commander or

ii. There is no apparatus available at the station.

10. Personnel are not permitted to use emergency warning lights when enroute to an incident that is non-emergency in nature.

11. All members are subject to progressive disciplinary action by a Chief Officer for any violations of this policy including, but not limited to, the revocation of the red-light permit, suspension, or termination of the member.

Responsibilities

Members are reminded that emergency warning lights are only a courtesy light, and it does not give members the right of way. Should a member be involved in an accident while using emergency warning lights, the member operating the vehicle will not be offered any protection from negligent operations and will be treated equally as any other civilian operator of a motor vehicle. It is also important to remember that your vehicle is not covered by the Department’s or County’s insurance policy when you are responding to any fire department event, including emergency and non-emergency incidents.

Florida Statute 316.2398 – Display or use of red or red and white warning signals; motor vehicles of volunteer firefighters or medical staff.

(1) A privately owned vehicle belonging to an active firefighter member of a regularly organized volunteer firefighting company or association, while en route to the fire station for the purpose of proceeding to the scene of a fire or other emergency or while en route to the scene of a fire or other emergency in the line of duty as an active firefighter member of a regularly organized firefighting company or association, may display or use red or red and white warning signals. A privately owned vehicle belonging to a medical staff physician or technician of a medical facility licensed by the state, while responding to an emergency in the line of duty, may display or use red warning signals. Warning signals must be visible from the front and from the rear of such vehicle, subject to the following restrictions and conditions:

(a) No more than two red or red and white warning signals may be displayed.

(b) No inscription of any kind may appear across the face of the lens of the red or red and white warning signal.

(c) In order for an active volunteer firefighter to display such red or red and white warning signals on his or her vehicle, the volunteer firefighter must first secure a written permit from the chief executive officers of the firefighting organization to use the red or red and white warning signals, and this permit must be carried by the volunteer firefighter at all times while the red or red and white warning signals are displayed.

(2) A person who is not an active firefighter member of a regularly organized volunteer firefighting company or association or a physician or technician of the medical staff of a medical facility licensed by the state may not display on any motor vehicle owned by him or her, at any time, any red or red and white warning signals as described in subsection (1).

(3) An active volunteer firefighter may not operate any red or red and white warning signals as authorized in subsection (1), except while en route to the fire station for the purpose of proceeding to the scene of a fire or other emergency, or while at or en route to the scene of a fire or other emergency, in the line of duty.

(4) A physician or technician of the medical staff of a medical facility may not operate any red warning signals as authorized in subsection (1), except when responding to an emergency in the line of duty.

(5) A violation of this section is a nonmoving violation, punishable as provided in chapter 318. In addition, a volunteer firefighter who violates this section shall be dismissed from membership in the firefighting organization by the chief executive officers thereof.