Fire Chief Jay Plato wants drivers, both locals and visitors, to be aware of the meaning of flashing green lights on the vehicles of volunteer firefighters when on their way to an emergency.
In the province of Ontario, volunteer firefighters are permitted to equip their personal vehicles with flashing green lights, which are intended to send a message to other drivers on the road that they are on their way to an emergency.
It’s meant as a request to drivers that they should pull over or let the vehicle pass, to allow the volunteers to save potentially life-saving seconds arriving at their destination, which could be a fire, a traffic collision or a medical emergency.
It’s a courtesy request reserved for volunteer fire departments, not mandatory legislation, says Plato. It doesn’t give volunteers any special privileges — they can’t speed or travel through red lights or stop signs.
Although volunteer departments have spent decades reminding drivers of the meaning of the flashing green lights, there are always drivers who don’t recognize the reason for them, says Plato.
Some may be new residents, who have moved to Niagara-on-the-Lake from large urban areas with paid full-time firefighters, and others are visitors from the Toronto area or the big cities.
It can be frustrating for the firefighters, Plato says, although the lack of understanding has been an issue for so long, they’ve learned to accept it.
This issue is not about the community not doing its part, he says. “The community as a whole embraces it and accepts it. This is about education and promotion, so more drivers are aware of the lights and what they represent. This is a tourism community, and people coming to
town from large cities don’t understand volunteer fire departments. We know people would want to help if they understood what the lights mean.”