Firefighters with lights and sirens on their POV

[PTR-Jason]

I have tried searching and the things it brought back did not include what I was looking for.

My question is are Firefighters (career or volunteer) allowed to have their POVs outfitted with lights and sirens. I know a permit can be issued by the Commissioner of the CHP granting vehicles emergency vehicle status, which would permit them. But is there anything else allowing it, I doubt the permits are handed out like candy as I have not seen any POVs with lights and sirens.

This is not for me to put stuff on my truck but someone is trying to tell me they have it on theirs are they are FF with Cal Fire. Which makes no sense to be since Career firefighters work shifts anyway.

I can not find any specific vehicle code except for the authorized emergency vehicle and the issuance of a permit. I was also on limited time trying to find it so could not devote a long time to find it, but maybe you guys just know off the top of your head.

[PapaBear]

I have tried searching and the things it brought back did not include what I was looking for.

My question is are Firefighters (career or volunteer) allowed to have their POVs outfitted with lights and sirens. I know a permit can be issued by the Commissioner of the CHP granting vehicles emergency vehicle status, which would permit them. But is there anything else allowing it, I doubt the permits are handed out like candy as I have not seen any POVs with lights and sirens.

This is not for me to put stuff on my truck but someone is trying to tell me they have it on theirs are they are FF with Cal Fire. Which makes no sense to be since Career firefighters work shifts anyway.

I can not find any specific vehicle code except for the authorized emergency vehicle and the issuance of a permit. I was also on limited time trying to find it so could not devote a long time to find it, but maybe you guys just know off the top of your head.

If it does not fit here, it is not authorized to be equipped:


Authorized Emergency Vehicle

165. An authorized emergency vehicle is:

(a) Any publicly owned and operated ambulance, lifeguard, or lifesaving equipment or any privately owned or operated ambulance licensed by the Commissioner of the California Highway Patrol to operate in response to emergency calls.

(b) Any publicly owned vehicle operated by the following persons, agencies, or organizations:

(1) Any federal, state, or local agency, department, or district employing peace officers as that term is defined in Chapter 4.5 (commencing with Section 830) of Part 2 of Title 3 of the Penal Code, for use by those officers in the performance of their duties.

(2) Any forestry or fire department of any public agency or fire department organized as provided in the Health and Safety Code.

(c) Any vehicle owned by the state, or any bridge and highway district, and equipped and used either for fighting fires, or towing or servicing other vehicles, caring for injured persons, or repairing damaged lighting or electrical equipment.

(d) Any state-owned vehicle used in responding to emergency fire, rescue or communications calls and operated either by the Office of Emergency Services or by any public agency or industrial fire department to which the Office of Emergency Services has assigned the vehicle.

(e) Any vehicle owned or operated by any department or agency of the United States government when the vehicle is used in responding to emergency fire, ambulance, or lifesaving calls or is actively engaged in law enforcement work.

(f) Any vehicle for which an authorized emergency vehicle permit has been issued by the Commissioner of the California Highway Patrol.

Amended Ch. 1292, Stats. 1983. Effective January 1, 1984.

Authorized Emergency Vehicle Permit

2416. (a) The Commissioner of the California Highway Patrol may issue authorized emergency vehicle permits only for the following vehicles, and then only upon a finding in each case that the vehicle is used in responding to emergency calls for fire or law enforcement or for the immediate preservation of life or property or for the apprehension of law violators:

(1) Any vehicle maintained in whole or in part by the state, a county or a city and privately owned and operated by a marshal, deputy marshal, or person who is a member of, and who receives salary from, and is regularly employed by, a police department or sheriff's department, provided the state, county or city does not furnish to that person a publicly owned authorized emergency vehicle.

(2) Any vehicle owned and operated by a public utility, used primarily to accomplish emergency repairs to utility facilities or used primarily by railroad police officers, who are commissioned by the Governor, in the performance of their duties.

(3) Firefighting or rescue equipment designed and operated exclusively as such.

(4) Any vehicle operated by the chief, assistant chief, or one other uniformed person designated by the chief of a fire department organized as provided in the Health and Safety Code or the Government Code or pursuant to special act of the Legislature.

(5) Any vehicle of an air pollution control district used to enforce provisions of law relating to air pollution from motor vehicles.

(6) Any vehicle operated by the chief of any fire department established on any base of the armed forces of the United States.

(7) Any vehicle owned and operated by any fire company organized pursuant to Part 4 (commencing with Section 14825) of the Health and Safety Code.

(8) Privately owned ambulances licensed pursuant to Chapter 2.5 (commencing with Section 2500).

(9) Vehicles other than privately owned ambulances used by privately owned ambulance operators exclusively to transport medical supplies, lifesaving equipment, or personnel to the scene of an emergency when a request for medical supplies, lifesaving equipment, or personnel has been made by any person or public agency responsible for providing emergency medical transportation. These vehicles shall display a sign or lettering not less than two and one-half inches in height, in a color providing a sharp contrast to its background, on each side showing the name of the ambulance operator.

(10) Any vehicle owned and operated by an office or department of a city, county, or district which is designated by an ordinance adopted by the governing body of that local agency as a hazardous materials response team vehicle for response to hazardous materials emergencies.

(b) The commissioner may adopt and enforce regulations to implement this section.

(c) Violation of any regulation adopted by the commissioner pursuant to this section is a misdemeanor.

Amended Ch. 824, Stats. 1990. Effective January 1, 1991.
Amended Sec. 177, Ch. 872, Stats. 1996. Effective January 1, 1997.

[bcjack]

Short answer...NO, they can't put lights and/or sirens on their POV's. With 33 years of fire service time, I know of no fire departments that allow their personnel (career or part-time) to have lights and sirens on their POV's.

The liability for the fire department is too high and the ability to insure your POV with lights and siren is almost non-existent.

I know of one Fire Chief who had a CHP authorized emergency vehicle permit for his POV, but the City gave him a vehicle allowance and provided the insurance coverage, but that was 1973 to 1990. Today, that wouldn't happen.

[cjincognito]

As someone who used to inspect AEV's for permit issuance, I've never seen a permit issued under the criteria you specified. Also, even if he had a permit, he would be required to have his vehicle inspected annually and a permit would have to be issued by CHP HQ.

Now, even if you could get a permit, why would you want to? You'd open yourself up to WAY to much of a law suit if anything were to happen.

[PTR-Jason]

Thank you Gents that is what I thought. This guy was telling me when I made a comment about CA FF and their POVs that they could outfit them, and I said it was illegal unless they had a permit. He said he has lights and sirens and so to other firefighters and officer with Cal Fire. I did not want to get in a you know what match with him, but I knew the CVCs and also in my 26 years in CA have not seen one POV with lights on it, and the county I live in is Volunteer and Career mix.

When I lived in Indiana and was a Firefighter I did have blue lights on my POV and no sirens courtesy only meaning they did not have to yield to us. When I lived in Missouri they had blue lights with sirens and were classified as and EV in Arkansas where I was a cop it was red lights with siren and they were an EV, here nothing.

I also think it may be against CAL FIREs SOP to let their FFs use lights on their POVs. Smaller FDs may allow it but I doubt any that operated or contracted by the state.