Letter from the Chief-Blue Lights

This most recent Letter from Chief Dan McConnell explains the reason volunteer firefighters and EMT's have those blue "courtesy lights" in their cars, and what to do when one drives up behind you.

Have you ever been driving down Young’s Hill Road and seen flashing blue lights in your rear view mirror?  Do you know what they mean and what you should do?

Think about this; it’s 6:45 PM and your 52 year-old neighbor is having a heart attack at home and has called 911.  He and his family need help to arrive as soon as possible.  Before that can happen, our volunteers need to get to the firehouse, and jump in an ambulance to proceed to the patient’s home.  That all takes time and the shorter we can make that time, the better it is for our patient.

Now back to Young’s Hill Road. Most people are very considerate about moving over when they see an ambulance, or a fire truck coming up behind them.  They understand that flashing lights and sirens indicate that the vehicle is responding to an emergency.  But before those emergency response vehicles can get on the road, the volunteers who drive and staff them need to put down their dinner and get to the firehouse.  That’s where those flashing blue lights come into play.  Many of our volunteer firefighters and EMT’s have their personal cars equipped with emergency blue “courtesy lights” to let you know they are responding to an emergency. They do not allow for members to disobey any traffic laws like stop sign, or stop lights, however if those blue lights are flashing in your mirror it means a volunteer is attempting to get to the firehouse as quickly as possible to be part of an ambulance or a fire crew.