2309   Mike J. Horn - Captain

23-B  John Zellner - Sergeant

23-L   Larry Loch

WHAT IS A FIRE POLICE OFFICER

Fire Police must take an oath of office, be sworn in by a Judge or Justice of the Peace and be registered with their Townships. To accomplish all of this, they must complete and be certified in Fire Police operations by their county and / or state.

The main function of a Fire Police Officer is to maintain the protection and safety of department personnel and equipment while at an emergency scene. These Fire Police Officers protect the emergency personnel and also protect their vehicles and equipment from damage.

Fire Police are also there to control the actions of a crowd, and keep them at a distance for everyone's safety. Who knows what hidden danger lies at the scene: explosions, toxic fumes and deadly chemicals which may be unseen and undetected, and many other unstable elements too numerous to mention.

Fire Police will control the flow of traffic to ensure emergency vehicles have a quick, safe entrance and egress to the incident. They may halt traffic, block a road off or detour you in another direction, because of the situation and the dangers involved.

Fire Police protect the victims, their valuables and property and preserve evidence at a scene.

WHAT SHOULD I DO WHEN I COME ACROSS A FIRE OR ACCIDENT WITH A FIRE POLICE OFFICER ON DUTY?

FIRST AND FOREMOST - BE ALERT ! ! ! SLOW DOWN ! ! !

We know some people become confused and angry when their driving is interrupted.

Please slow down and watch out for emergency personnel at the scene of an incident. Both Firefighters and Fire Police have been injured and even killed from being struck by passing motorists. In addition to the risk to emergency personnel, fire trucks and ambulances have been struck by other vehicles passing or approaching an incident scene. Please help us to return home safely to our families by slowing down when approaching an accident or fire scene.

Please yield the right-of-way to oncoming and overtaking emergency Vehicles by pulling as far to the right side of the roadway as possible and come to a complete stop. This should also apply to any vehicles using “blue lights?on personal cars. Although these lights are classified as “courtesy lights?Pennsylvania State Law permits them and you are asked to give the people using these lights the “courtesy?of allowing them to safely pass. These blue lights are used by our firefighters to aid them in getting to the stations more quickly in order to respond to a call for emergency help.

Please follow the traffic direction signals of the Fire Police at an Intersection, accident, fire scene, or at other special events.

If you approach fire hose on the roadway, do not drive up to or over the hose except at the direction of an officer of the Fire Company or a fire police officer. Driving over a fire hose may cause it to burst and therefore cut off the supply of water needed to fight a fire. This could also result in the injury of firefighters or even cause the loss of life. Driving over a fire hose is a traffic offense in Pennsylvania and you can be fined.

Do not enter an area that has been cordoned off by yellow or red caution tape. This is for your safety as well as ours. If the incident involves a criminal act then this tape is also used to cordon off an area that may contain evidence.

If you have special needs or concerns or an emergency situation ?(is YOUR HOUSE on fire, or YOUR CHILD in the accident) - PLEASE identify yourself to the FIRE POLICE OFFICER!! We will put you in immediate touch with the proper authorities - and save you from stumbling about in a panic where you may injure yourself or someone else. IF you are asked to detour from your route and do not know an alternate route, please pull over to a safe location and an officer will assist you as soon as possible. Please do not stop in the middle of an intersection to ask questions. Distracting an officer while standing in an intersection can put that officer in danger if they are not aware of other traffic that may enter the intersection. Many time drivers get distracted by all the fire apparatus and lights and do not see us.