Policy - Apparatus and Driving

Format. Adopt as a policy approved by the fire chief (or by the council or board where the municipality’s framework requires it), or restate it as a standard operating guideline or directive. Keep the numbering either way, because the program, the procedures and the audit checklist refer to it.

Drafting conventions. Shall is mandatory. Should is expected unless a documented reason exists. May is permitted. Placeholders in double curly braces, such as {{Department}}, are completed by the department. Drafting notes sit in callouts and are removed before adoption.

Keep intact. The out-of-service rule (5.2.2), driver authorization before driving (5.5.1), the non-emergency default and “lights and siren or neither” (5.7.2, 5.7.3), the intersection stop (5.8), seated and belted (5.9), the spotter rule (5.10), fitness to drive without penalty (5.11), the block before the boots (5.13.1), the telematics learning firewall (5.14), and the speak-up and reprisal clauses (5.16). Adapt the titles, the speed margin, the supervised hours, the re-evaluation interval where a stricter one is chosen, the records system and the reporting lines.

1.1 To state {{Department}}’s commitment that every member gets to the call, works on the road and comes home without a collision, a rollover, a backing strike or a member struck by traffic, and that the apparatus, the drivers, the decisions on the way and the practice at roadway scenes are managed as one written program.

1.2 To assign accountability for that program to the line, with verification by the health and safety officer and consultation with the joint occupational health and safety committee.

2.1 This policy applies to every member who drives, rides in, operates or works around a department vehicle: career, volunteer and paid-on-call members, recruits, staff officers and instructors, and members responding to calls in their own vehicles.

2.2 It applies to every department vehicle: pumpers, aerials, tenders, rescues, wildland units, light and command vehicles, trailers and towed equipment, front-line, reserve and training apparatus.

2.3 It applies to all driving the department directs (emergency and non-emergency response, returns, training, moves on the apron, fuelling and maintenance runs) and to all work on or beside a roadway.

2.4 Mutual aid units operating under the department’s command follow the host provisions in Policy - Contractors and Mutual Aid. Corporate fleet services and contractors who maintain apparatus work under the service level agreement in 5.3.4. Excluded: commuting to scheduled shifts, except where Policy - Fatigue and Hours of Work applies, and patient transport by the ambulance provider.

• Apparatus: any department vehicle built or used for emergency response, including pumpers, aerials, tenders, rescues, wildland units and light vehicles.
• Authorized driver: a member whose licence, abstract, medical fitness to drive and department driver training for a given apparatus type have been verified and recorded.
• Block: an apparatus placed upstream of a roadway incident so that it, and not a member, takes the impact of an errant vehicle.
• Due regard: the condition, set by the applicable traffic law, that a driver using an emergency vehicle exemption still drives reasonably and prudently with regard for the safety of everyone on the road (J30 Emergency Vehicles, Drivers and Licensing).
• Emergency mode: response with warning lights and siren operating together, under which statutory exemptions may be used within due regard.
• Emergency vehicle technician: a person qualified to inspect, maintain and test emergency vehicles under the in-service vehicle standard (NFPA 1910, 2024).
• Learning firewall: the rule that information gathered for learning (learning teams, after-action reviews, collision reviews, telematics coaching) is never used as the basis for discipline, and that conduct concerns go to a separate process run by different people (The Human Factor, 2026a).
• Non-emergency mode: response without exemptions, obeying every rule of the road.
• Out-of-service criteria: the written list of defects on which a unit is removed from response until a technician returns it (Apparatus, Driving and Roadway Operations Program toolkit T2).
• Psychological safety: the shared belief that it is safe to speak up, ask, admit error and challenge (Edmondson, 1999)DOI.
• Response mode matrix: the approved table that sets emergency or non-emergency mode for each call type.
• Spotter: a member outside the apparatus who guides backing with the department’s standard signals.
• Telematics: vehicle data from an on-board recorder or a fleet system: speed, braking, cornering, seat-belt status and warning device use.
• Traffic incident management: the coordinated practice of responders, police and road authorities to protect a roadway scene and restore traffic (NFPA 1091, 2024).
• Work-as-done: how a task is actually performed under real conditions, as distinct from how it is imagined (Hollnagel, 2014).

1. Arriving is part of the response. The response mode is decided by the call, not by habit, and the department accepts the time a non-emergency response costs where the call allows it.

2. Everyone belted, every time the wheels turn. There is no short move, no quick reposition and no SCBA donning that justifies an unbelted rider.

3. The block before the boots. At a roadway scene, steel goes between traffic and people before anyone steps out.

4. Equipment that fails its check does not respond. Anyone can take a unit out of service; only a technician puts it back.

5. People are the solution we build around, not the problem to fix. Drivers’ and officers’ judgment, adaptations and reports are the program’s main source of safety; this policy supports that judgment rather than replacing it.

6. Procedures describe work as done, written with the people who do it. Every driving and roadway procedure starts from a learning-team description of how the work is really done, and is revised with the drivers and officers who do it (Conklin, 2012; Hollnagel, 2014).

7. Learning comes before blame, and learning information is never used for discipline. Collision reviews, telematics coaching and near-miss reports sit behind the learning firewall (Dekker, 2016).

8. Psychological safety is a condition of safety, so speaking up is expected and protected. “Stop” from any seat stops the apparatus, and a member who says they are not fit to drive is thanked.

5.1 Apparatus specification and acceptance. 5.1.1 Every new apparatus shall be bought to a written specification that cites the current edition of the apparatus design standard and the department’s equipment standards list, prepared or reviewed by the Equipment Standards team, with drivers and the JOHSC consulted. 5.1.2 The specification shall include a three-point belt and an SCBA bracket for every seat, a vehicle data recorder with seat-belt monitoring, a backing camera and cross-view mirrors, conspicuity marking, a warning light pattern with a scene mode, a cab noise limit and intercom, clean-cab features, and for electric or hybrid drive the manufacturer’s high-voltage isolation and labelling. 5.1.3 No new apparatus shall carry a crew until its acceptance test (weight against axle ratings, brakes, road test, third-party certifications, every specified item) is signed by the program manager. Accountable: the program manager.

5.2 Checks and out-of-service authority. 5.2.1 Every front-line and reserve apparatus shall be checked at the start of each duty period at career stations, and at least weekly and after every use at volunteer stations, on Form - Apparatus Daily and Weekly Check Sheet. 5.2.2 A unit that meets any out-of-service criterion shall not respond. Any driver or officer may place a unit out of service; only a qualified technician may return it to service. 5.2.3 No member shall be directed or pressed to drive a unit the member believes is unsafe; the officer assigns another unit or requests one. 5.2.4 Station officers shall review the check sheets and the vehicle data summary monthly and follow up every defect. Accountable: company officers and station officers.

5.3 Maintenance, annual testing and records. 5.3.1 Preventive maintenance and repairs shall be done by qualified emergency vehicle technicians on the manufacturer’s schedule and the in-service vehicle standard. 5.3.2 The annual pump service test, the annual aerial inspection with non-destructive testing on the standard’s cycle and after any overload, the annual ground ladder and fire hose service tests, and the annual chassis safety inspection shall be current for every unit and recorded on the annual test tracker. 5.3.3 Tires shall be replaced on tread depth, damage or age, whichever comes first, and split-rim and multi-piece wheels shall be inflated only in a cage. 5.3.4 Where fleet services are provided by a corporate department or a contractor, a signed service level agreement shall set the standard, the schedule, technician qualification, out-of-service authority, the turnaround for safety defects, reserve or loaner arrangements and the records the department receives. 5.3.5 Vehicle records shall be kept for the life of the vehicle. Accountable: the program manager; fleet services under the agreement.

5.4 Replacement and reserve fleet. 5.4.1 The department shall keep a written apparatus replacement plan based on the design standard’s guidance on front-line and reserve service and on each unit’s condition, reviewed in the annual fleet evaluation and carried in the five-year budget worksheet. 5.4.2 No member shall ride in an exterior or unbelted position on any apparatus; a unit carries no more members than it has belted seats. 5.4.3 A reserve unit or a documented contingency shall cover any unit taken out of service. Accountable: the deputy chief, operations.

5.5 Driver authorization and licensing. 5.5.1 No member shall drive a department vehicle until the training division has verified and recorded, on Form - Driver Qualification and Training Record, the licence class and endorsements the law requires for that vehicle, a driving abstract, medical fitness to drive (outcome only), and completion of the driver program for that apparatus type. 5.5.2 Authorization shall be by apparatus type and posted at each station. 5.5.3 Licence status and abstracts shall be rechecked at least annually. 5.5.4 A member whose licence is suspended, downgraded or made conditional shall tell the officer before the next duty period and shall not drive until cleared; the disclosure is a fitness matter handled through the program. 5.5.5 Medical conditions that affect driving shall be assessed by {{Occupational Health Provider}}, and the department shall receive only the outcome (fit, fit with restriction, not fit). Accountable: the training division; company officers check the authorization list before assigning a driver.

5.6 Driver training and re-evaluation. 5.6.1 Every driver shall complete the department driver program for each apparatus type before driving in response: classroom (the law and its conditional exemptions, due regard, vehicle dynamics, intersections, backing, response mode, fatigue, telematics), closed-course exercises, and supervised road driving in daylight, at night and in adverse weather, with at least {{Hours}} supervised hours (default 20). 5.6.2 Pump, aerial and tender operators shall also meet the professional qualification requirements for the apparatus type, by certification or documented department evaluation. 5.6.3 Tender drivers shall complete rollover awareness training before driving a loaded tender. 5.6.4 Every driver shall be re-evaluated by a documented road check at least every 24 months and after any collision or at-fault near miss. Accountable: the deputy chief responsible for training.

5.7 Response mode and speed. 5.7.1 The department shall maintain a written response mode matrix, prepared with dispatch and drivers, consulted with the JOHSC and approved by the deputy chief, operations. 5.7.2 Calls with no reported threat to life shall be answered in non-emergency mode. 5.7.3 Emergency mode means warning lights and siren together; lights alone is not a response mode. 5.7.4 The officer may downgrade a response at any time and may upgrade only on new information that meets the matrix; returns, training runs and apparatus moves are always non-emergency. 5.7.5 In emergency mode, speed shall not exceed the posted limit plus {{Margin}} km/h on clear, dry roads, and shall not exceed the posted limit in school zones, work zones or adverse weather; the statutory condition of reasonable and prudent driving with due regard for others is the ceiling in every case. 5.7.6 A mutual aid response never exceeds this matrix. Accountable: the deputy chief, operations, for the matrix; the officer for each response.

5.8 Intersections and railway crossings. In emergency mode, the driver shall come to a complete stop at every red signal and stop sign against the apparatus, enter one lane at a time with every lane accounted for, and proceed only when the officer has called the lanes clear. The driver shall not pass on the left of traffic stopped at an intersection unless every lane is confirmed stopped, and shall not enter opposing lanes at speed. At railway crossings the apparatus stops, windows down and siren off, and crosses only when the line is clear both ways. Accountable: drivers and officers.

5.9 Occupant safety. 5.9.1 Every person aboard shall be seated and belted before the apparatus moves and until it stops, including on the apron and for short moves. 5.9.2 No one shall ride on a tailboard, step or other exterior position. 5.9.3 SCBA shall be donned only in a seat bracket while belted, or at the scene. 5.9.4 Loose equipment in the cab shall be secured. 5.9.5 Intercom headsets or hearing protection shall be worn where cab noise exceeds the department’s limit. 5.9.6 The driver shall not move until the officer confirms “all belted”. Accountable: officers and drivers.

5.10 Backing. No apparatus shall back without a spotter positioned at the rear on the driver’s side, visible in the mirror and using the department’s signals; when the driver loses sight of the spotter, the driver stops. A camera is an aid, not a spotter. Aerials and tenders use a second spotter where staffing allows. A move by a lone member is allowed only where SWP - Emergency Vehicle Response and Backing permits it, after a full walk-around and at walking speed. Every backing contact, however minor, shall be reported. Accountable: drivers and officers.

5.11 Fitness to drive. 5.11.1 No member shall drive when fatigued, impaired by alcohol, cannabis, drugs or medication, or unwell to a degree that affects driving. 5.11.2 A member who believes they are not fit to drive shall say so and shall be given another seat or role without consequence; the officer assigns another driver or requests another unit. 5.11.3 Hours and rest follow Policy - Fatigue and Hours of Work; a member who has worked a long incident is offered a rest option before driving home. 5.11.4 The driver shall not use a phone or a mobile data terminal while the vehicle is moving; the officer or another crew member handles communications. Accountable: officers and members.

5.12 Personal vehicle response. 5.12.1 A member responding in a personal vehicle has no right of way and shall obey every rule of the road, except to the extent the applicable traffic law expressly designates that vehicle (J30 Emergency Vehicles, Drivers and Licensing). 5.12.2 A courtesy light, where the law permits one, is a request for courtesy and confers no exemption. 5.12.3 No member shall follow a responding apparatus closer than the following distance the traffic law sets, park between the apparatus and traffic, or respond while fatigued, impaired or distracted. 5.12.4 Members shall tell their own insurer in writing that the vehicle is used to respond, and the department shall state in writing what coverage it provides. 5.12.5 Every member who responds from home or work shall acknowledge SWP - Personal Vehicle Response (Volunteers) in writing on joining and every year. Accountable: volunteer officers and members.

5.13 Roadway incident scenes. 5.13.1 At every incident on or beside a roadway, the first apparatus shall block upstream, covering the work area plus one lane, before anyone leaves the cab, and members shall exit on the protected side. 5.13.2 Every member outside the hot work zone shall wear high-visibility apparel to the apparel standard: Class 2 at minimum, and Class 3 at night or on roads posted at 80 km/h or more; bunker gear counts only during active fire or extrication. 5.13.3 Scene lights shall be aimed at the work, warning lights set to scene mode, cones and an arrow board used as SWP - Roadway Incident Scene Blocking sets out, police requested for traffic control, and advance warning placed on extended incidents. 5.13.4 On divided and high-speed highways, all lanes shall be closed briefly for extrication rather than one left open at speed beside members; no member shall cross a median on foot; a helicopter shall land on a highway only with a full closure in both directions. 5.13.5 Every operational member shall hold traffic incident management training within the last three years. Accountable: incident commanders and officers.

5.14 Vehicle data and telematics. 5.14.1 The department collects vehicle data (speed, braking, cornering, seat-belt status, warning device use) for coaching, program improvement and the investigation of collisions and near misses. 5.14.2 Each driver may see their own data; station officers see it for monthly coaching; the program team sees aggregate trends; the health and safety officer sees it for an investigation; nobody else sees it without the fire chief’s written approval. 5.14.3 Vehicle data and coaching conversations are learning information and shall never be the sole basis for discipline. 5.14.4 Conduct concerns (impairment, reckless disregard for others, tampering with a recorder, falsified check sheets) go to a separate process run by different people; the threshold is stated in writing and was explained to drivers before the system went live. 5.14.5 Trends shall be reported in aggregate to the JOHSC every quarter. 5.14.6 No telematics system shall be switched on until this clause and the data retention period have been explained at every station. Accountable: the fire chief.

5.15 Collisions, near misses and learning. 5.15.1 Every collision, backing contact, rollover, roadway struck-by and near miss involving a department vehicle, or a member’s vehicle on response, shall be reported before the end of the duty period on Form - Vehicle Collision Report, with Form - Injury and Incident Report for any injury. 5.15.2 The health and safety officer shall secure the vehicle data download. 5.15.3 Events shall be triaged through the learning system: a Tier 1 after-action review for minor contacts and near misses; a Tier 2 post-incident analysis for any injury, significant damage, rollover, or member struck or nearly struck; a Tier 3 independent learning review for a death or critical injury. 5.15.4 Every review shall ask what made the driver’s actions make sense at the time, and its findings shall reach every driver through a change notice. 5.15.5 Statutory reports to the regulator, the compensation board, police and the insurer shall be made on time. 5.15.6 A driver involved in a collision shall be re-evaluated before driving again and offered peer support; removal from driving is never used as a penalty. Accountable: the health and safety officer for the review; the program manager for corrective actions.

5.16 Speaking up, stop authority and reprisal. 5.16.1 Any member in any seat may call “stop”, and the driver shall stop as soon as it is safe to do so. 5.16.2 Any member may decline to drive when not fit to, and shall be thanked for saying so. 5.16.3 Every concern a member raises about driving, apparatus or roadway practice shall receive a reply from the program manager within five working days. 5.16.4 No member shall suffer reprisal for a report, a stop call or a concern raised in good faith. Accountable: the fire chief.

5.17 Program, consultation and review. The department shall maintain Apparatus, Driving and Roadway Operations Program as the written program this policy requires; charter the Apparatus, Driving and Roadway Program Improvement Team; consult the JOHSC before adopting or changing the response mode matrix, the telematics clause or an apparatus specification; produce a quarterly update and an annual appraisal; audit the program annually with Checklist - Apparatus, Driving and Roadway; and have it independently reviewed every three years. Accountable: the fire chief.

Only the differences from 01 Roles and Responsibilities are stated here.

6.1 Fire chief: approves this policy and the telematics clause; signs the fleet service level agreement; escalates apparatus replacement gaps to the chief administrative officer and council in writing.

6.2 Deputy chief, operations: approves the response mode matrix; holds the reserve fleet decision; receives escalations of overdue corrective actions on the department’s one priority scale (a P2 (Serious) item at its due date, a P3 (Moderate) item at 30 days overdue) in the Corrective Action Register.

6.3 Program manager (line officer leading the Apparatus, Driving and Roadway team): accountable for the program’s outcome and indicators; owns every open corrective action from checks, tests, collisions and near misses; answers members’ concerns within five working days.

6.4 Health and safety officer: samples check sheets, the test tracker and the authorization list quarterly; observes blocking and apparel at roadway incidents; secures data downloads and leads collision reviews.

6.5 Training division: keeps the driver records, the evaluator pool and the authorization list; delivers the driver program and traffic incident management training on schedules volunteers can attend.

6.6 Company officers: confirm checks, belts and the authorization of each driver; call lanes at intersections; downgrade responses; spot or assign a spotter; coach from vehicle data in the two-way way the program describes.

6.7 Drivers and members, including volunteers responding from home: drivers check the unit, drive within this policy, decline to drive when not fit and report every defect, contact and near miss; every member belts up, spots when asked, follows the personal vehicle rules and speaks up.

6.8 Fleet services and emergency vehicle technicians: deliver the maintenance and testing the agreement sets; return units to service; never return a unit with an open safety defect.

6.9 Dispatch: assigns the response mode with the call according to the matrix; requests police for roadway incidents the matrix lists.

6.10 {{JOHSC}}: designates a standing consultant to the team; is consulted on the matrix, telematics and specifications; receives aggregate telematics trends and the collision review summaries.

• Apparatus, Driving and Roadway Operations Program (FSSMS-PRG-09) with its implementation toolkit.
• SWP - Emergency Vehicle Response and Backing; SWP - Roadway Incident Scene Blocking; SWP - Personal Vehicle Response (Volunteers).
• Shared: SWP - Aerial Device Operations; SWP - Ground Ladder Operations; SWP - Fall Protection on Apparatus and at Heights; SWP - Diesel Exhaust and Station Zoning.
• Forms: Form - Apparatus Daily and Weekly Check Sheet; Form - Driver Qualification and Training Record; Form - Vehicle Collision Report.

8.1 The records this policy creates are the specifications and acceptance records, check sheets, the annual test tracker and certificates, work orders, the replacement plan, driver qualification records and the authorization list, the response mode matrix, vehicle data and coaching summaries, collision reports and reviews, and the concern reply log. They are kept in {{Records system}}: vehicle records for the life of the vehicle, driver records for the member’s service plus the period in 05 Document Control and Records.

8.2 The driver record holds only the medical outcome and any restriction, never a diagnosis.

8.3 Vehicle data is kept for the period the telematics clause states and then destroyed, except where it forms part of a collision investigation.

8.4 Every record is written on the assumption that it may be disclosed under freedom-of-information legislation. Records identify people by role wherever the purpose allows. Collision reviews and coaching notes are de-identified before they are shared and are never placed in a personnel file; privilege is asserted only on counsel’s advice.

9.1 To the fire chief: the quarterly indicator update; every Tier 2 or Tier 3 vehicle event within 24 hours; the annual appraisal; the replacement plan.

9.2 To {{JOHSC}}: the quarterly update; aggregate telematics trends; collision and near-miss review summaries; the corrective action register monthly.

9.3 To council or the governing board: vehicle and roadway indicators within the annual health and safety report (03 Accountability and Reporting), and any apparatus replacement gap the budget cannot close.

9.4 To the regulator, the compensation board, police and the insurer: as the applicable law and the insurance contract require (J08 Incident Reporting and Investigation for the regulator and the board; J30 Emergency Vehicles, Drivers and Licensing for collision reports to police).

11.1 The applicable occupational health and safety statute and regulations: the employer’s general duty (J02 Duties of Employers, Supervisors, Workers and Contractors); written work procedures (J06 Written Procedures and Committee Consultation); any fire-service rules and firefighter equipment provisions for ground ladders, aerial devices and hand lights (J12 Fire Service OHS Rules and Fireground Operations; J15 Equipment Inspection, Ladders and Aerial Devices); shop rules such as tire cages (J19 Lockout, Machine Guarding and Electrical Safety); reporting to the regulator (J08 Incident Reporting and Investigation); and record retention (J09 Records Retention).

11.2 The applicable traffic statute and rules of the road: emergency vehicle exemptions conditional on reasonable and prudent driving with due regard, warning devices, move-over, yielding, following distance, seat belts, the status of members’ personal vehicles, and the licence classes and air brake endorsement for heavy and air-braked vehicles (J30 Emergency Vehicles, Drivers and Licensing).

11.3 The applicable rules for temporary workplaces on highways, including any conditional exemption for emergency services (J31 Roadway Incident Scenes), and the high-visibility apparel standard (CSA Z96:22).

11.4 NFPA 1900 (2024): new apparatus design, seating and restraint, vehicle data recorders, warning lights, electric and hybrid drive; the department specifies a seat-belt monitoring system whether or not the current edition requires a warning system.

11.5 NFPA 1910 (2024): in-service inspection, maintenance, testing, out-of-service criteria, retirement and technician qualification.

11.6 NFPA 1550 (2024): apparatus, equipment and driver/operator requirements (ch. 8), traffic incident management (ch. 11) and the health and safety officer’s annual fleet evaluation (ch. 4).

11.7 NFPA 1010 (2024): driver/operator job performance requirements (ch. 11 and the apparatus-type chapters); NFPA 1091 (2024): traffic incident management qualifications.

11.8 CSA Z1001-18: management of OHS training; CSA Z1005:21: incident investigation. The duty of everyone who directs work to take reasonable steps to prevent bodily harm (Criminal Code [CA], 1985, s. 217.1).

11.9 Accreditation: apparatus types, replacement schedule and specifications with employee input; maintenance by trained and certified technicians, reserve fleet and tracking; safety training, hazard reporting, risk reduction and operational risk management (CPSE, 2019, criteria 6C.1 to 6C.3, 6D.1 to 6D.5, 6E.3, 6E.4, 11A.2, 11A.3, 11A.5, 11A.8).

12.1 This policy is reviewed 12 months after adoption and every three years after that.

12.2 It is reviewed sooner after any vehicle-related death, critical injury or Tier 2 event; after a change in the applicable traffic or OHS law or a new edition of NFPA 1900, 1910, 1550, 1010 or 1091; on a written request of {{JOHSC}}; or when the annual audit or appraisal recommends it.

12.3 Every revision is consulted with {{JOHSC}}, {{Union}} and {{Volunteer Association}} before approval, and the consultation record is filed with the policy.

Consult early, before the policy is in final form, and put the outcome in writing. The committee and the bargaining agents will ask these questions; the honest answers follow.

Where the parties disagree, record the disagreement, adopt what can be adopted, and review at 12 months.

Disclaimer. This model policy is general information for the use of {{Department}} in building its own policy. It is not legal advice. The applicable statute, regulation and collective agreement govern on any conflict. Confirm every cited clause and section with counsel before adoption.

End of model policy.

This chapter relies on the following legal requirements, which differ by province and territory. Check your jurisdiction’s section on each topic page before adopting it.