Private Vehicles

[Wannabee]

I was over taken today by a Silver H3 Hummer in Baldivis with Blue, Red & white flashers on the grill and an siren blaring. Followed it down the road and it pulled into the Baldivis fire station. It appears they had a call out.

Can anyone inform me if this behaviour is legal or not?

If not do you report it to the police?

Just seems very strange to me..

[hold3n]

i think you can get permission by mainroads or....

correct me if im wrong

[yorky]

While I don't know the facts myself, I can only assume its a chief or similar for the area.

For their private vehicle to have lights and sirens they must submit an application to the Department of Planning and Infrastructure which can then be approved for the role they undertake. I don't think they hand out approvals very easily.

[SgtSeedy]

some local government vehicals dont have decals/stickers or visual aids apart from lights and sirens to show they are an emergency vehical. A Hummer doesn't sound like the typcial Local government vehical though.......

[written_ficton]

I wouldnt mind a council vehicle in the shape of a Hummer!

[SgtSeedy]

I wouldnt mind a council vehicle in the shape of a Hummer!

sameo!

[hold3n]

if its h3 get it out of my sight

[Wannabee]

Definitely not the chief or deputies just some young bloke in his own car.

[Wannabee]

And Holden vollies or anyone at that can obtain permission to obtain lights and sirens for there private vehicle for the purpose of responding to a station. If so everyone would be doing it.

[hold3n]

(why cant they adapt from America?) just my opinion

[modernmind]

....

[Wannabee]

Maybe I wasn't clear enough. This vehicle has nothing to do with the brigade it's chief, deputy, officers etc. It was a privately owned vehicle driven by a volunteer to the station to respond to a job just like every other one of us who responds to stations for turnouts. Only difference is the majority of us do not have lights and abide by the road rules when doing so.

[yorky]

Well without going in and asking its going to purely speculation as to what vehicle certifications he has.

[macca]

I agree with all of the above but Volunteers shouldn't be braking the law eg: Speeding, let alone displaying blue and red flashing lights with a siren going while making there way down to there station for a fire call. You need to get to the station when you can so that you can man the appliance and turn out. This is just insane that volunteer members are doing this. I know of one person that got busted for doing the same. I would say pass on the information to the police and let them deal with it.

[observer]

Unfortunately I have witnessed this happen a few times before. There may even be photos still around of one well known person in the southern suburbs who's private vehicle you could easily be mistaken as a fire brigade vehicle. I was talking to the police one night regarding this situation. They informed me that it is illegial to be displaying red or blue lights on private vehicles (unless they have the appropriate exemptions, which they believe is very hard to get for a private vehicle). They also had informed me that they had spoken to several people regarding this matter and advised them of the best course of action to next take (ie remove the lights). It was funny that one of these vehicles I knew of soon had his light bar covered over.