Firefighting companies across the state gained some peace of mind this week as a bill that would reverse the state’s decision to limit driving of the trucks to those who possess commercial drivers licenses passed in both the state Senate and Assembly.
The current law, which was adopted in 2005, allowed those who did not have a commercial driver’s license (or CDL) to drive a vehicle exceeding 26,000 pounds only to an emergency but not back from it. It also did not allow firefighters who did not have the CDL to train on the fire apparatus.
While the solution to require all firefighters driving the trucks to obtain CDLs was one of the options, fire companies argued that the process was both lengthy and costly.
According to Jerry Paris, first deputy fire coordinator for the Town of Colonie, the training associated with obtaining the license can take anywhere from eight to 16 hours (typically in one central location, requiring those obtaining them to travel) and can cost anywhere from $600 to $1,200, depending on how many endorsements a driver has. The endorsements, Paris said, are given based on specifications of training for particular vehicles the person obtaining the license can drive.
The bigger the vehicle, the more endorsements you have, said Paris. `The more money it costs.`
The CDL also has to be renewed every one to two years, requiring a physical with every renewal.
The bill is now awaiting Gov. David Paterson’s signature.
Paris said he hopes the governor will sign it before the conclusion of this legislative session at the end of June.
The CDL issue sparked statewide attention this year after an incident in Long Island brought liability questions to light regarding incidents that could happen when someone who does not have a CDL drives the fire apparatus, Paris said. While the law originally stated that all firefighters driving the trucks needed to have a CDL, in 2005 the law was changed allowing the firemen to drive to emergencies without them.
When the fire companies realized this year that they were breaking the law by allowing non-CDL operators to drive back from emergencies, many fire companies altered their procedures to conform to the law as best they could.
At the Fuller Road Fire Department in Colonie, Chief Kevin Terry said the fire department resorted to remaining `in service` until returning to the fire department from an emergency as a way to get around the law.
`This statute, it kind of put me between a rock and a hard place,` Terry said.
Paris said his fire department, the Shaker Road Loudonville Fire Department, has started a program, regardless of whether the governor signs the bill, to cover the costs for anyone wanting to obtain their CDL.
`We have a deal cut in where we’re picking the bill up for members that would like to obtain their CDL,` said Paris. `It’s coming out of our training budget.`
Paris said that while not all fire departments are able to do this for their members because they do not have the funding, the Shaker Road Loudonville Fire Department is one of the busiest fire departments in the town. He also said that his fire department wanted to not let the law deeply affect them.
`We were taking steps to be proactive and not reactive to the law. We need to remove the liability from the fire department,` Paris said.
Aside from not being able to drive the vehicles without the CDL, Paris spoke of the troubles the fire department was having when it came to training its firefighters to use the apparatus.
`There’s a lot that goes in to learning how to use a fire truck,` said Paris. `There are 20 or 30 hours that goes in to training somebody on fire apparatuses. A person needs to not only know how to drive to the [fire], but now when we get to that call he needs to make that thing operate.`
Terry said his fire department hasn’t been able to use new equipment that the fire department has received to better assist them in an emergency situation because the firefighters without CDLs cannot train on it.
`We have a brand new pumper, and up to now, we have been limited to the training that we could do on this apparatus,` he said.
Terry also said that `it would make sense to operate [the trucks] under non-emergency conditions` so that the firefighters could be more experienced with the equipment they are using.
Terry described the process of getting the legislation to this point as `frustrating.` He said it was ironic that bringing the bill to light has taken so long, but that this week, when fire companies threatened to not have their trucks participate in Memorial Day parades, the bill suddenly passed both houses.
`The fire trucks weren’t going to be in Memorial Day parades, and in a week, we got things done, but there are certainly weird things that drive government to do things,` said Terry. `I’m certainly not going to be critical because at least we got this thing done.`
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