WA Radio Scanner Users' Group

Hi, I was wondering if anyone thinks that Department of Environment and Conservation FIRE trucks should be allowed a siren to get to emergency incidents quicker.

They have only just recently been able to use blue and red lights, instead of just red.

Just wanted a few opinions,

Thanks.

Emergency vehicles ar classed as those fitted with flashing lights or an audible warning device. It'd be up to DEC to fit them if they thought they were needed.

I've never *ever* seen a DEC appliance with blue lights on it?

Problem you have is under the law, you need to be responding to an incident where life may be in danger to use red/blue lights & sirens. I'm not sure DEC would fall into this... ?

Some DEC land is around houses and therefore could probably fall under that banner though. The faster the DEC trucks can get to the scene the more water the better the chances of getting the fire out quickly. Having said that, if Western Power only have Red's and a siren, why couldn't DEC have reds and a siren?...

I saw a DEC ute with its flashing LED lights, 2 at the rear and 2 at the front. I have no idea why they had them on, no one was moving out of their way though.

Fastlane wrote:I've never *ever* seen a DEC appliance with blue lights on it?

Problem you have is under the law, you need to be responding to an incident where life may be in danger to use red/blue lights & sirens. I'm not sure DEC would fall into this... ?

In regards to fire, a fire appliance just needs to be responding to a fire or alarm of fire to use red/blues/sirens. There is no difference with DEC turning out lights and sirens to a bush fire as opposed to us. For rescues there needs to be life at risk.
See below for excerpt from Road Traffic Code:

emergency vehicle means a motor vehicle —
(b) of a fire brigade on official duty in consequence of a fire
or an alarm of fire or of an emergency or rescue
operation where human life is reasonably considered to
be in danger;

Fastlane wrote:I've never *ever* seen a DEC appliance with blue lights on it?

Problem you have is under the law, you need to be responding to an incident where life may be in danger to use red/blue lights & sirens. I'm not sure DEC would fall into this... ?

i thought it was a matter or life or property in danger???

DEC may have their own fire service, but unlike BFB's and FRS they are not classed as an emergency service and therefoe do not have Blue/red lights and a siren. The service they provide does not include "emergency response" as such, but simply put they provide a deployable resource to manage fires.

Hope this helps...

DEC have only just recently had the red and blues put on. I believe it was changed from the old red and orange because it turned out it wasn't an "approved combination"... even though it had been used for years...
When DEC vehicles where at fires in the past the general public never really took notice of the red and orange lights so there was a safety issue with the general public not slowing down around the vehicles, but the red and blues have made a huge difference.

DEC fire vehicles are now classed as a class 2 emergency vehicle and as far as a siren goes most of the fires they fight are away from built up areas so even if they had sirens they wouldn't really use them a whole heap, they do still do a lot of fires around the metro out skirts so it would make sence to have sirens for when vehicles are deployed from Mundaring to Wanneroo/Yanchep etc.

At the end of the day there isn't really a big push from the guys who drive the trucks to put sirens on... but if FESA get their way and take control of the whole state then maybe they will put the sirens on...