Privately-Owned Vehicle Response

Your agency relies heavily on the ability of your members to respond either directly to the scene or station in their personal vehicles. While this is essential to your organization’s ability to react to emergencies in a timely manner, there are also inherent risks. Your volunteers need to understand that, first and foremost, they must arrive at the emergency scene or station safely in order to be of any help to the public.

To help protect your members and the general public from these risks it is recommended that you develop and enforce a standard operating procedure (SOP) covering response in privately owned vehicles. This SOP should include, but not be limited to, the following:

1. Volunteers responding in personal vehicles must obey the state motor vehicle code with respect to courtesy light privileges.
2. Courtesy lights must not be used by volunteers as a license to operate their personal vehicles as if they are emergency vehicles. All courtesy lights should be approved by the chief of the department and a written permit issued. The permit should include the “rules of the road” that apply.
3. Volunteers responding in personal vehicles should never exceed the posted speed limit.
4. Volunteers responding in personal vehicles should come to a complete stop at all stop signs and red traffic signals and must wait for normal right of way before proceeding.
5. Procedures for at-the-scene parking/staging should be included in the SOP.
6. Individual volunteers must have personal automobile liability insurance with appropriate liability limits that protect not only the volunteer but also your organization.

Once developed, this SOP should be included in all new-member orientations and driver training sessions. Every member should receive a written copy of your SOP and sign off that they have received and understand it.

Available Resources

• POV Exposures and Controls
• Privately Owned Vehicle (POV) Operations
• Personal Vehicle Safety Checklist
• Personal Vehicle Response