Junior Fire ~ Responding

[mtfirejunior]

I am interested in being junior firefighter in CT. Am I allowed to put strobes in my car? This is not the only reason I want to be a fire fighter, but it seems like a perk of the job. Whats your opinion on this?

[captaincvfd]

NO! our juniors are not allowed lights on there cars they are to respond to the station speed of traffic
once safely there they are allowed on the trucks
And Once on sceane they work at whatever leval they are trained to

[prnancoz]

At least in New Jersey it is illegal for anyone under the age of 18 to display or use a blue light in a personal vehicle. It's not a 'perk'.

Concentrate on learning what you need to know to perform what is expected and to stay safe.

[lvwrench]

If your in it just for the sake of having a bunch of colorful flashing lights then you are in it for the wrong reasons. Get over the lights and down to the real business at hand of fighting fire and saving lives.

[nmfire]

CT state law has no age requirement for lights. It states you must be a volunteer firefighter. Juniors generally don't meet that classification to begin with. And secondly, the chief must authorize each individual with a permit and no chief on this planet is going to give one to a 16yr old.

[RoaddoggAK]

Does your making it to the station mean that a truck will leave the building? Junior firefighters can't pack up, let alone do much else in PA, so why would you endanger yourself and others by trying to fly to the firehouse? Probies without essentials shouldn't have them either. It's a not a perk, but a huge responsibility when you have a light in your vehicle, because you take your life and everyone else's on the road into your hands when you're running that light. If the weather's bad, I don't even turn mine on because what good does it do if I go off the road or cause a wreck? None.

[dano8696]

Our dept doesn't let explorers run lights..... I have had lights for several years and didn't even bother putting them in my new vehicle I find it easier to respond to the station no lights, even with blue lights you have to obey traffic laws and can't run red lights, they are a courtesy light ONLY!

[rpierce]

We went with a pre-made program for our junior members. It was put together by our insurance company. Junior members are not allowed to have blue lights, must respond only to the station, can not be on first out apparatus, and once on scene are allowed to do only non harardous duties.

[DeputyMarshal]

This is a duplicate topic. It's already gone on for 3 pages here:

http://forums.firehouse.com/showthread.php?t=88406

Shall we continue it there if we must and drop it here?

[Bones42]

it seems like a perk of the job

Then you are interested in the wrong job. Plain and simple.

[sthimm]

I am not a fan of Junior firefighters. Last year a 14 year old was killed on his bike while responding to a structure fire...an his family wanted the federal death benefit. Everywhere you go-FDIC or read in the trade magazines-they preach-we need to get the line of duty deaths down. How can we get the number of LODDs down if junior firefighters are counted amongst the same as those making entry or responding with proper training? Red or Blue lights in a POV is not the way to go, it is NOT a perk. Also, check with your insurance...I'm sure they will have something to say about that.

[backsteprescue123]

I am not a fan of Junior firefighters. Last year a 14 year old was killed on his bike while responding to a structure fire...an his family wanted the federal death benefit. Everywhere you go-FDIC or read in the trade magazines-they preach-we need to get the line of duty deaths down. How can we get the number of LODDs down if junior firefighters are counted amongst the same as those making entry or responding with proper training? Red or Blue lights in a POV is not the way to go, it is NOT a perk. Also, check with your insurance...I'm sure they will have something to say about that.

Ok, first of all Chris Kangas was a few years back. Second of all, is that the only experience that you have with juniors or explorers? Because if that is, then you are not in any position to make a judgement on them. Ask any of the seasoned posters here about explorers and they will tell you that they serve a purpose in many departments and are capable of performing a myriad of tasks (within labor regs, laws, and rules/regulations) and can be quite beneficial to a department.

[DeputyChiefGonzo]

mtfirejunior...

You can't even post your question in the proper forum... why should anyone give you permission for strobes in your car?

[nmfire]

I am not a fan of Junior firefighters. Last year a 14 year old was killed on his bike while responding to a structure fire...an his family wanted the federal death benefit. Everywhere you go-FDIC or read in the trade magazines-they preach-we need to get the line of duty deaths down. How can we get the number of LODDs down if junior firefighters are counted amongst the same as those making entry or responding with proper training? Red or Blue lights in a POV is not the way to go, it is NOT a perk. Also, check with your insurance...I'm sure they will have something to say about that.

You make me sick.

[DeputyMarshal]

You make me sick.

What brought that on?

[nmfire]

The kid gets killed responding to call and his he has the gall to complain that it makes the LODD numbers look bad.

[sthimm]

Have any of you guys drove up on a structure fire as the first in Officer? There are too many things to think about much less a young kid. Do I feel sorry for him? Yes. Did he belong reponding to a fire? NO. So what you are saying is "its ok to kill 100+ Firefighters a year?" On the same note, a 75 year old firefighter dies at a fire, LODD or natural causes? Come on here, lets be honest. There are many other rolls for people who have served their time on the department. They do not belong on a pump panel or the end of a hose. Photography, filling bottles, safety officer-YES The same goes for those who don't wear seatbelts and die in the line of duty...I say remove the benefit from them. There is absolutely no reason we should be dieing in the line of duty from vehicle ejection. More people would wear them if they knew the benefit wasn't there. I could go on about the lack of full PPE on a fire scene too-air packs being worn but the waist belt not secured, mask dangling on the end of a hose, etc.... I am sure I will get blasted with these comments but the truth hurts.

[DeputyMarshal]

Nonetheless, he has a point.

It wasn't a LODD by any rational standard yet there are those who would try to make LODD's so all-inclusive that they stop being relevant to the fire service.

We had an fire engine involved MVA returning from a call in a department I'm associated with a bit less than a year ago. There were two 14 y/o "cadets" and a 17 y/o cadet in the engine. There were injuries. Fortunately, nobody died.

Those minors didn't belong in the engine during an emergency response at all: They should never have been there yet you can be sure that, if they had died, somebody would have been pressing for LODD recognition.

If there must be "Juniors", let's just not forget that "Juniors" are not "firefighters."

Disagree if you disagree but just tossing out, "You make me sick," isn't a useful contribution to the discussion.

[sthimm]

Duputy Marshall-thanks for the support-You are 100% correct.

[mpullen32]

First off, why would a rig ever leave the station with three cadets or juniors on board? Second? why shouldn't a junior be considered a LODD? I personally feel as though they should. Just because they cannot go inside doesn't mean they do not play a vital role on the fireground. Finally for the person who started the topic, if all you want is to have lights on your car, (like everyone has already said) you are in the fire service for the wrong reasons.