Fire Prevention Week: Saluting NOTL's volunteer firefighters

During Fire Prevention Week, the NOTL Local is helping to highlight the great work of the NOTL Fire & Emergency Serices volunteer firefighters who keep this community safe, in so many ways. All of us who drive on NOTL roads can in turn help keep our firefighters safe, by understanding the role flashing green lights play in this community when firefighters risk their own safety to respond to an emergency call. 

Fire Chief Jay Plato is urging both local drivers and visitors to understand the significance of flashing green lights on the vehicles of volunteer firefighters responding to emergencies. In Ontario, volunteer firefighters are allowed to equip their personal vehicles with flashing green lights to signal that they are enroute to an emergency. This signal is a request for other drivers to pull over or let the vehicle pass, enabling the volunteers to save crucial seconds when responding to fires, traffic collisions, or medical emergencies.

Deputy Chief Darren Trostenko emphasizes that this is a courtesy request, not a legal requirement. The flashing green lights do not grant volunteers any special privileges such as speeding or running red lights, unlike their full-time counterparts in other municipalities. 

Despite ongoing efforts to educate the public, many drivers remain unaware of the meaning behind the flashing green lights. This lack of awareness is particularly common among new residents from urban areas with full-time firefighters, and visitors from larger cities.

The Deputy Chief acknowledges the frustration this causes for volunteer firefighters but stresses that the community is generally supportive. “This is about education and promotion,” he says. “We want more drivers to understand what the lights represent. In a tourism-heavy area like Niagara-on-the-Lake, many visitors are unfamiliar with volunteer fire departments. We believe people would want to help if they understood the significance of the lights.”

By raising awareness, Chief Plato hopes to ensure that volunteer firefighters can reach emergencies as quickly and safely as possible, ultimately benefiting the entire community.