Hey guys,

I'm training to become a Firefighter in hopes of joining my local FD, anyone else here either in or wanting to be? Any of you here drive and chase Trucks when they are rolled?

Meaning do you listen to a scanner and go to the fire scenes and watch.. People do that, and it is legal I believe.

"Chasing trucks" is not illegal pending you follow all traffic rules/laws, I used do do that here and there but only because I was called to the scene when i was vollying with my local PD to do traffic rolling Code

After my 6 or so years of active Marine duty (I'm not a Marine yet), I'll go onto a reserve contract and join the FDNY.

Well, based on what I command as head dispatcher, I get 911 calls and dispatch, out Fire Unit to Sences need that need FD and dispatch there district, witch is 2 and 4. 'Chasing Trucks' is illegal, in my state. Going to a Fire Sence Is Leagl and watching is leagl, if you do as EMA (Emergeny Managent Agency) tells you to do, me being a EMT I am able to go through EMA Showning My ID.

Hope it helps,

Trooper John

UNIT ID- 55

Well, based on what I command as head dispatcher, I get 911 calls and dispatch, out Fire Unit to Sences need that need FD and dispatch there district, witch is 2 and 4. 'Chasing Trucks' is illegal, in my state. Going to a Fire Sence Is Leagl and watching is leagl, if you do as EMA (Emergeny Managent Agency) tells you to do, me being a EMT I am able to go through EMA Showning My ID.

What state? In the US, it's not illegal, so meh.

In my state it is. Illegal.

What state? Because federal law (constitution) says it's legal.

I work with a local social media news organization, which every PD and FD agency in the area respects because of how much respect we have for them. So I don't have any hassles for chasing the trucks, going on scene and filming, even talking to them. Although generally, I'll just hear the callout on the scanner and head to the location that way. It's considerably easier.

What state? Because federal law (constitution) says it's legal.

Really? There is a federal law that says it is your right to chase firetrucks? I'd love to see that law, could you please link me to it?

Regardless of it being illegal or not, it will be hard for police to find evidence that you ended up on the scene as a result of listening to a scanner, unless you bring it to the scene.

Here it is not illegal to listen to a scanner, but it is illegal to act upon the information you get from a scanner and go to scenes, this is ignored though with websites such as:

http://www.112-aarhus.dk/photogallery.php

http://www.alarm112danmark.dk/news.php

(Note, some of those many sites that exist has deals with the local fire brigade, they get the information directly from the fire brigade itself).

I've been on scene at a few fires, it's not something that's "fun" especially if it's a residential fire, it's people who's losing pretty much everything they own.

It's not a spectator sport, although have respect if you do show up to scenes, put yourself in the place of those who are victims of the fire if you're in doubt as to what you should do.

If you need your "fix", the LAFD operates a "flickr" account, which is updated very frequently, they have several full-time photographers embedded at different stations: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lafd/

There's a few good Flickr accounts out there for those who are interested in such things: http://www.flickr.com/photos/smokeshowing is one of those, Flickr is definitely worth checking out if you are interested in emergency vehicles, as there's quite a few groups on the site dedicated to emergency vehicles, both worldwide and geographically limited.

What state? Because federal law (constitution) says it's legal.

No. No it doesn't.

1. Federal law != constitution. The Constitution says very little; it is less than 10 pages. Very little of that has to do with your rights; a lot of it involves setting out the structure of government. Almost every federal thing is not the Constitution.

2. The Constitution is not clear-cut on most issues. It needs to be interpreted. You have your interpretation, but I'm sorry to say that it doesn't really matter for anything. What does matter is the interpretation that judges have.