[yourpics]

Thanks for the many responses.

I simply think that during daytime hours lights and sirens should both be used.

I also think that part-time firemen should have sirens aswell as the blue light on the windscreen.

[Zambia]

Part time firemen? As in like on their personnel cars? That is just stupid.

[Com1186]

not going to happen... if it does then that part time fireman will have to have proper driver training and his car insurance will shoot up.

then why should nt off-duty gardai have lights and sirens in the car if they have to get to an emergency?

or coast and cliff , mountain rescue and search members?

ambulance drivers , nurses and doctors

civil defence

your going down a slippery slope my eager friend!

i think if you want to drive a vehicle with lights and sirens
become an ambulance driver , fireman or garda
take it from me... the buzz of lights and sirens quickly wears off!

(I also think that part-time firemen should have sirens aswell as the blue light on the windscreen.)
If i met a part-time fireman with blues on and driving anyway excessive the would be prosecuted..... blues are for offical vehicles and they dont give you power to drive fast or bully people off the road!

[yourpics]

Originally Posted by Com1186

not going to happen... if it does then that part time fireman will have to have proper driver training and his car insurance will shoot up.

then why should nt off-duty gardai have lights and sirens in the car if they have to get to an emergency?

or coast and cliff , mountain rescue and search members?

ambulance drivers , nurses and doctors

civil defence

your going down a slippery slope my eager friend!

i think if you want to drive a vehicle with lights and sirens
become an ambulance driver , fireman or garda
take it from me... the buzz of lights and sirens quickly wears off!

(I also think that part-time firemen should have sirens aswell as the blue light on the windscreen.)
If i met a part-time fireman with blues on and driving anyway excessive the would be prosecuted..... blues are for offical vehicles and they dont give you power to drive fast or bully people off the road!

I was driving in a 50 kph zone one day when a part time fireman was on his way to the fire station responding to an emergency call out. He drove up behind me with the blue flasher on, I assumed he was an unmarked garda car and pulled over, thinking he wished to speak with me. This lead to the fireman being delayed behind me for a few seconds, he pulled out around me erratically and proceeded at a speed well in excess of 50 kph.

It was a shocking display of driving and showed little concern to other road users.
In this instance, the use of a siren would have cleared all traffic out of his way.

[are you serious]

Originally Posted by yourpics

I was driving in a 50 kph zone one day when a part time fireman was on his way to the fire station responding to an emergency call out. He drove up behind me with the blue flasher on, I assumed he was an unmarked garda car and pulled over, thinking he wished to speak with me. This lead to the fireman being delayed behind me for a few seconds, he pulled out around me erratically and proceeded at a speed well in excess of 50 kph.

It was a shocking display of driving and showed little concern to other road users.
In this instance, the use of a siren would have cleared all traffic out of his way.

Just curious, how could you tell all of that ^^ in the few moments it took from him coming up behind you to him passing you and driving off?

[yourpics]

Originally Posted by garkane

Just curious, how could you tell all of that ^^ in the few moments it took from him coming up behind you to him passing you and driving off?

I looked in the mirror, saw the blue flasher on a car that was right on my bumper. I stopped assuming it was AGS. The car spun off and drove past me, revving very highly. I knew to look at the car that it was well in excess of 50 KPH. I continued to drive at 50 KPH and the car was fast disappearing.
The fire station was half a mile away, as I passed it I saw the same car parked there and the fire brigade loading up.

[yourpics]

Originally Posted by Zambia

Part time firemen? As in like on their personnel cars? That is just stupid.

Please refrain from stating that my comment is stupid without any explanation.

[BrianD]

Originally Posted by yourpics

I also think that part-time firemen should have sirens aswell as the blue light on the windscreen.

No as these are reserved for official emergency vehicle.

Not all emergency workers - full or part time - are appliance drivers. You are asking to drive their own cars as emergency vehicles without qualification or training. Hardly and social domestic use as per insurance.

Part time or volunteer emergency workers are to be praised but there's no point in putting their lives at risk to and from the fire station.

[yourpics]

Originally Posted by BrianD

No as these are reserved for official emergency vehicle.

Not all emergency workers - full or part time - are appliance drivers. You are asking to drive their own cars as emergency vehicles without qualification or training. Hardly and social domestic use as per insurance.

Part time or volunteer emergency workers are to be praised but there's no point in putting their lives at risk to and from the fire station.

Just a suggestion, if anything I thought the presence of a siren would aid them getting to the fire station safely, I wasn't impling that they drive any faster etc.

[emzyo1990]

Originally Posted by Com1186

not going to happen... if it does then that part time fireman will have to have proper driver training and his car insurance will shoot up.

then why should nt off-duty gardai have lights and sirens in the car if they have to get to an emergency?

or coast and cliff , mountain rescue and search members?

ambulance drivers , nurses and doctors

civil defence

your going down a slippery slope my eager friend!

i think if you want to drive a vehicle with lights and sirens
become an ambulance driver , fireman or garda
take it from me... the buzz of lights and sirens quickly wears off!

(I also think that part-time firemen should have sirens aswell as the blue light on the windscreen.)
If i met a part-time fireman with blues on and driving anyway excessive the would be prosecuted..... blues are for offical vehicles and they dont give you power to drive fast or bully people off the road!

I agree with not giving off duty personnel lights and sirens for personal vehicles this would cause absolute chaos in towns. Also can I just say 'ambulance drivers' are from 50 years ago, If you call any EMT/Paramedic today an 'ambulance driver' they will not be best pleased please give us the respect we deserve as medical professionls.

[Com1186]

apologies.... didnt mean to offend.

[wreckless]

part-time fire-firefighter???

the correct term your looking for is "Retained" fire-fighter. We are on call 24/7/365.

[yourpics]

Originally Posted by wreckless

part-time fire-firefighter???

the correct term your looking for is "Retained" fire-fighter. We are on call 24/7/365.

No offence was intended by the use of the term "part-time".

[Zambia]

Originally Posted by yourpics

Please refrain from stating that my comment is stupid without any explanation.

Sorry about that, the reasons why have been raised since.

[Topper7]

You couldnt give every tom, dick & harry a light & siren for their personal use. Not only would we never get any sleep, but the public may become used to them and not give them much attention.

To answer the question of why use lights & not sirens, it is often not entirely necessary to use sirens especially in resenditial areas at night time (imagine if you lived beside a hospital or ambulance/fire station!). Also from my expierence in vol ambos, the driver will often turn off the siren when not needed so that s/he can communicate more easily with the person treating in the back or hear the radio better. Not sure if this is the case in HSE ambos though.