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Hernando Today

Chief Presents Ride-Along Policy To Fire Board

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By TONY HOLT, Hernando Today

Published: January 11, 2008

SPRING HILL - Not all passengers in district-owned vehicles will need to be fire-rescue employees once a new policy is approved by the fire board.

A teenager doing a report on fire safety for school may go on a ride-along with a captain.

Maybe a spouse or family member could ride shotgun with a district chief, as long as the latter is on call and not on duty.

Perhaps a stranded motorist on the side of the road can get a ride from a firefighter who is passing by along a busy street. Such a scenario is called a "ready-to-assist ride."

That provision to the policy may earn at least one objection.

"I'm more worried about liability," said Fire Commissioner Rob Giammarco, who said he favored most of the policy, just not the ready-to-assist portion. "You don't know today what you're coming upon. These people are not law enforcement. They're firefighters."

Giammarco told Chief J.J. Morrison on Wednesday night that the sheriff's office should be notified whenever someone from the district sees someone on the side of the road who is in need of assistance.

Morrison is the one who wrote the policy. It was presented to the board for the first time during Wednesday's workshop meeting. Fire commissioners are expected to vote on a final version Jan. 23.

There are three allowances for public transportation stated in the plan - ready to assist, informational or educational ride-along and guest passenger.

There was no resistance from the Spring Hill Fire Rescue board to either the second or third parts of the policy. Fire commissioners think it is acceptable for taxpayers or local students to go on ride-alongs whenever they request them.

Morrison, however, pointed out there would be some passengers who may not be willing or prepared to witness the worst kinds of trauma scenes.

"We see things I wouldn't want my 13-year-old to be exposed to," he warned.

As for guests who ride in district vehicles, that part of the policy is applicable only to chief officers who are off duty.
Fire bosses asked Morrison to devise a policy in the wake of an incident in November. One local resident, and a known vocal supporter of the district, was given a ride to a district meeting after she called the office and requested it.

When the incident came to light, some members of the board objected because of liability issues.

Morrison promised that would not happen again.

In reference to the ready-to-assist portion of the policy, Giammarco thought it was unwise to provide such a service to residents in an area where the population is greater than 100,000. Such a practice would not be as problematic in a smaller community, he said.

Morrison said during a phone conversation Thursday he was not inclined to make any changes to that part of the policy.

"I love having that kind of community involvement," he said.

The proposed policy the chief presented to the board Wednesday was merely for discussion, he said. Morrison will rely heavily on feedback from board members and district administrators prior to writing the final draft. He hopes to have it ready by the Jan. 23 meeting.

Reporter Tony Holt can be reached at 352-544-5283 or wholt@hernandotoday.com.

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