Another brilliant piece of legislation

[Clipper]

I laughed like heck when I read about the law described in the article linkedcoped from the OD below. A firefighter without a commercial drivers license can drive a firetruck TO a fire, but he can't legally drive BACK??


Fire chiefs back insurance, oppose driving restriction

By EMERSON CLARRIDGE
Observer-Dispatch
Posted Jan 31, 2009 @ 10:07 PM
DEERFIELD —


The crowd was jolted when a little-known bit of state law that was recently unearthed by downstate fire chiefs was revealed.

The law prohibits anyone without a commercial driver's license from driving a fire engine anywhere except to the scene of a fire - not even back to the station. Drivers without the special license are not permitted to drive engines to training exercises, maintenance facilities, parades or anywhere else.

“It's as stupid as it sounds,” LaBelle said. “This is catastrophic.”

Reversing the law gained new urgency last week after a state police trooper pulled over the driver of a fire engine that belonged to a New Jersey department, LaBelle said.

A spokesman for the state Motor Vehicle Administration reached by telephone Saturday said a portion of Gov. David Paterson's budget proposal includes a provision that would eliminate the law, exempting firefighters from the commercial license requirement.

Gee, we can let a volunteer firefighter drive a truck worth several hundred thousand dollars to the scene of a fire, allow him to risk his life in fighting that fire, but we can't allow him to drive the truck back to the firehouse? Be real people. I would assume that the truck from the New Jersey department was in violation of a traffic law, or the trooper would most likely not pull over a firetruck.

Let me get this straight. A firefighter can be arrested for driving out of class while returning to the station from a fire, but AN 85 YEAR OLD GRANDPA CAN GET OUT OF HIS HONDA CIVIC AND CLIMB INTO A 45 FOOT DIESEL POWERED MOTOR HOME and drive to Florida without so much as a driving class. That makes a lot of damn sense to me. Duhhh!

[dgriffin]

Jan 31, 2009 23:02:05 GMT -5 Clipper said:

GRANDPA CAN GET OUT OF HIS HONDA CIVIC AND CLIMB INTO A 45 FOOT DIESEL POWERED MOTOR HOME and drive to Florida without so much as a driving class

And it ain't just Grandpa. We should keep in mind that many of the motor homes, large trailers, horse trailers, etc., on the highway are driven by people who think they know what they're doing, just because they can steer and get the rig through the Thruway entrance. When they drive by you in a 36 foot motor home at 80 miles an hour, pulling over a ton of automobile behind them, you should pause to think of how they will react when they need to stomp on the brakes and that you will not want to be anywhere near them.

[clarencebunsen]

When I was in the Army I received a citation for driving a 1/2 ton pickup while my license was only endorsed for 1/4 ton. Since I hadn't left the parking lot of the motor pool, I always suspected a set-up.

Common sense and the law are so distantly related they could get married in all states.

[bobbbiez]

And we paid for the paper for this ludicrous law to be written down on.

[bobbbiez]

not to mention, someone elected the wackos that came up with this insane legislation and signed it into a law.

[Clipper]

I only use the "Grandpa" example because we recently saw a little old man, in his late 70's or early 89's hobbling toward his Prevost motorhome, that probably cost a half a million, with a minivan in tow. He walked with a cane, and could barely navigate. His wife was a cute little blue haired old lady, and she was holding him by the arm. HE climbed into the drivers seat, where he could barely see over the dash. Like you said Dave, what happens when an emergency arises and he jams on the air brakes at 70mph?

Who knows. The guy could be a retired truck driver with millions of miles under his belt, but it sure is scary thinking of him driving that thing in his crippled up condition. Gotta think that the poor guy didn't have wonderful reaction time and reflexes, when he could hardly walk. God bless him, but let me stay way behind him on the highway. 20+ tons of motorhome, and 125 lbs of elderly driver.

[clarencebunsen]

As I re-read the report, I think it's very possible that the return trip was simply overlooked in the legislation. However, try getting any of our elected help to admit that they wern't paying careful attention when they wrote, passed & signed the bill.

[Clipper]

Unless they are planning on leaving the firetruck at the scene of the last fire until there is another qualifying emergency, I guess they better get on the stick and correct that little legislative brain fart. Hell, maybe I can get a job just going around and returning all the firetrucks to the firehouse for a fee. I still maintain my CDL.