Municipality of Central Elgin Enhancing Driver Education and Community Safety

Municipality of Central Elgin Enhancing Driver Education and Community Safety

Awareness signs installed for volunteer firefighter vehicles

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 10, 2024

CENTRAL ELGIN – In an effort to enhance driver awareness and community safety, the Municipality has installed additional signage indicating that drivers should yield to vehicles with flashing green lights used by Central Elgin Fire Rescue volunteer firefighters.

At its Regular Meeting dated June 12, 2023, Council passed a resolution approving informational signage regarding volunteer firefighter flashing green lights for installation at four high-visibility locations along Sunset Road and Highway 3. This was completed in summer 2024.

On September 5, members of Council (pictured L-R) Michelle Graham, Morgaine Griffin, and Deputy Mayor Todd Noble joined Fire Chief Raymond Ormerod for a photo to mark the installation and promote the initiative.

In a large city, emergency vehicles are operated by full-time personnel who use the red lights and sirens to get through traffic to the scene of an emergency in a hurry. Seconds count in a fire or rescue situation, and time lost from traffic congestion can make a difference. Those in rural and smaller urban areas like Central Elgin receive fire protection from volunteers who often respond to emergencies in their own private vehicles. These vehicles are not equipped with red lights or sirens that make them stand out from any other vehicle on the road.

When the call for help comes in, our personnel may be at their regular job, at the beach with the family or sleeping in the middle of the night. They drop what they are doing and immediately respond to the fire hall to drive the firetrucks to the emergency scene. Once the trucks have responded, firefighters and first responders who did not make it to the hall will continue to the emergency in their personal vehicle.

The Green Light gives the firefighters no special privileges when responding to an emergency. It is used only as an identifier to the drivers of other vehicles so that they may give up their right-of-way and allow the firefighter to get to the emergency unimpeded. 

If you see a vehicle with the tell-tale flashing green light activated, you now know it's one of our dedicated volunteers on their way to help one of our neighbours. Remember, the home they’re rushing to save or life we're going to rescue could be yours, or that of a close friend. Please let them by!

“This initiative is intended to help make drivers aware and remind them keep an eye out for the green flashing lights on our roads,” said Mayor Andrew Sloan. “On behalf of Council, I would like to thank residents for supporting community safety and yielding to our volunteer firefighters at these critical times.”