1. Emergency Vehicle Operations: Review
Instructor Danny Braitsch Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute

2. Objectives Students will be able to:
Understand differences between laws and regulations, and recognize agencies that determine these laws and regulations.
Outline and review laws, initiatives, and regulations that govern and direct the rights and responsibilities of emergency vehicle driver/operators.
Understand expectations of emergency vehicle drivers/operators while driving to and from, and operating on an emergency scene.
Understand the importance of ensuring safety while operating emergency vehicles in an emergency capacity.

3. What do you know about safe emergency driving?

4. Standards and Guidelines

5. NFPA
National Fire Protection Association develops standards and guidelines to promote fairness and achieve consensus on matters involving fire and other safety issues.
NFPA is “codes, standards, recommended practice, and/or guidelines,” not law.
NFPA 1451: Standard for a Fire and Emergency Service Vehicle Operations Training Program (Last updated: 2018):
The objective of this standard is to assist in preventing crashes, injuries, and fatalities involving fire/emergency service vehicles by outlining training standards required of emergency vehicle operators.

6. NFPA 1451 NFPA 1451 regarding Emergency Response:
Recommends AHJ (authority having jurisdiction) have written SOPs governing speed and the limitations to be observed by emergency vehicle drivers during inclement weather and various roadway/traffic conditions
Insists that AHJ policies may not be less stringent/restrictive than state laws
Drivers must come to a complete stop until safe to proceed at:
Any “stop” signal (sign, light, traffic officer)
Blind intersections
Intersections where operator cannot see all lanes of traffic
Stopped school buses with red flashing warning lights, as required by state law

7. NFPA 1451 NFPA 1451 regarding Emergency Response (continued):
Railroad crossings
Stop at unguarded railroad crossings to ensure safety before proceeding
No parking on railroad tracks
Obey all railroad crossing signals when responding to emergencies
Maintain safe following distances (at least equal to the minimum travel distance needed to stop the vehicle without contacting another object and avoid rear-end collisions)
Pass other vehicles during emergency response with caution
Understand when to respond in non-emergency mode

8. NFPA 1451
NFPA 1451
Recommends implementation of driver training programs with minimum training hours to be met by emergency vehicle operators.
Lists basic training/education requirements and recommends minimum instructor qualifications
Focuses on training program safety in both development and implementation
An excellent resource to take from in order to ensure fundamental safe emergency driving standards are addressed in development of individual jurisdiction SOPs

9. Department Policies and SOPs

10. Authority Having Jurisdiction
Each AHJ (Authority Having Jurisdiction), or individual department/station is responsible for creating their own SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) regarding emergency vehicle driving and operations
It is the responsibility of each individual driver/operator within their own department/station to become familiar with:
Their AHJ’s SOPs
What their roles and responsibilities are as driver/operator of an emergency vehicle.
How they are expected to respond and function before, during, and returning from an emergency response.

11. Law and Code

12. Maryland State Law Maryland Code Section §21-106 outlines:
What privileges an emergency driver is welcome to exercise, and
Under what circumstances a driver of an emergency vehicle may exercise these privileges

13. Maryland State Law Maryland Code Section §21-106
Privileges allowed of emergency vehicle operators:
Pass a red/stop signal, stop sign, yield sign (but only after slowing down as necessary for safety)
Exceed any maximum speed limit (but only as long as the driver for not endanger life/property)
Disregard traffic control devices or regulation governing directions of movement or turning in a specific direction
Park/stand without regard to other provisions of this title

14. Maryland State Law Maryland Code Section §21-106
Circumstances under which these privileges may be exercised (relevant only to emergency vehicle operations in fire service)
Driver must be responding to an emergency call or fire alarm, and
Using audible and visual signals that meet the requirements of § of Maryland Transportation article/code

15. Maryland State Law Maryland Code Section §21-106 also specifies that:
A driver of an emergency vehicle may not use flashing lights, bell, siren, or exhaust whistle while RETURNING from an emergency call or fire alarm (with the exception of fire apparatus carrying standing firemen who may use flashing lights that are visible only to the rear)
The driver of an emergency vehicle, while parking/backing, may use flashing lights within 100ft of the entrance ramp to a fire/rescue station
Code ends with: “This section does not relieve the driver of an emergency vehicle from the duty to drive with due regard for the safety of all persons.”

16. Due Regard
Legally define as: How a reasonably careful person who is performing under similar circumstances would act.
Give decisions made while operating an emergency vehicle in an emergency setting the full regard deserved. Make no driving decisions hastily.

17. Initiatives and Recommendations

18. FEMA Federal Emergency Management Agency
Published with U.S. Fire Administration “Emergency Vehicle Safety Initiative” last updated in February 2014
172-page research document geared toward improving emergency responder safety related to emergency vehicle response and roadway safety.
May be accessed at the following link:

19. FEMA
Published with National Volunteer Fire Council “Emergency Vehicle Safe Operations” (3rd Edition), last updated in 2016
48-page document that presents strategies, best practices, and sample SOPs that volunteer/combination departments may use to promote safety of responders with regard to to vehicle operations and traffic incident responses
May be accessed at the following link: content/uploads/2015/09/EVSO-Guide-3rd-edition.pdf

20. FEMA
Published with U. S. Fire Administration “Alive on Arrival,” issued August 2018
2-page document suggesting ways to stay safe as emergency vehicle operator, passenger, and while working on scene
May be accessed at the following link:

21. General Driving Tips Drive defensively.
Prepare for the unexpected. Drivers will not always react the way you believe they should or the way you believe they will.
Always wear a seatbelt.

22. Conclusion Students should be able:
Understand differences between laws and regulations, and recognize agencies that determine these laws and regulations.
Outline and review laws, initiatives, and regulations that govern and direct the rights and responsibilities of emergency vehicle driver/operators.
Understand expectations of emergency vehicle drivers/operators while driving to and from, and operating on an emergency scene.
Understand the importance of ensuring safety while operating emergency vehicles in an emergency capacity.

23. References
National Fire Protection Association, (2018). Standard for a fire and emergency service vehicle operations training program, NFPA 1451, ed Retrieved from: codes-and-standards/detail?code=1451. Maryland Transportation Section , (2018). Retrieved from: Federal Emergency Management Agency (2016). Emergency vehicle safe operations: For volunteer and small combination emergency service organizations. Retrieved from: 3rd-edition.pdf. U.S. Fire Administation (2014). Emergency Vehicle Safety Initiave. FA-336, Feb 2014, Federal Emergency Management Agency. Retrieved from: