Southern Alberta firefighters get literal green light

Green lights on personal vehicles alert other drivers that a volunteer firefighter is on their way to an emergency.

Lethbridge, Alta. — Volunteer firefighters in Vulcan County now have their personal vehicles equipped with a flashing green light, to signal to other drivers that they’re on route to an emergency.

The light also alerts other vehicles they should safely let firefighters pass.

"It’s starting to catch on," said Vulcan County Regional Fire Chief Douglas Headrick. "We are starting to see people pulling over for the firefighters."

Cypress County, which surrounds Medicine Hat and Redcliff, initiated a green light program in 2017. Firefighters in the M.D. of Taber are also using them.

The lights are common in Ontario, where over 19,000 volunteer firefighters have them in their personal vehicles. Pulling over for these vehicles is currently considered a courtesy, but the Ontario government is considering making it mandatory.

According to the Alberta Fire Chiefs Association, there is no provincial policy on flashing green lights, but local municipalities have the authority to pass a bylaw that allows volunteer firefighters to use them.

Fire chiefs say circumstances vary in each municipality, and in some regions, traffic delays aren’t a significant problem. The municipalities must also consider the cost of providing the lights to its volunteers.

Headrick said his firefighters have identified many instances where they’ve been held up for various reasons due to traffic conditions, and were asking what could be done about it.

"They’re not breaking the speed limits, and they’re adhering to the rules of the road, but they’re just asking, if you yield the right of way to me, I can get to the hall that much quicker," he said.

He said the fire department is now spreading awareness, so people know what to expect, when they see a green flashing light.