When the tone drops, some departments make as much commotion as possible to alert motorists of their presence. Others opt to run quiet and blend in with traffic for some calls. Much of this decision is guided by state law and SOPs.
So we put it to our readers to tell us how their departments handle the loud vs. quiet debate. We had plenty of responses, and here are 11 of the more interesting ones. Please, add your own in the comment section.
1.“We have some calls that we consider non-emergency. But if it warrants lights, then it warrants siren. Georgia law states ‘audible and visual.’ Too many lawsuits out there to not follow state law.” — Jeff Bennett
2.“Never. That doesn’t happen.” — Rupak Paul
3.“If I had my way, we’d never use them. Inexperienced drivers get reckless and it doesn’t enhance response time in the downtown area with all the stop signs and traffic signals. Sad to say, people don’t respect them and freak out when they do see or hear them.” — Gillian Hurlburt Cox
4.“Yes in ice and slick road conditions — for safer driving by us and oncoming traffic.” — Richard Myers
5.“We run without lights or sirens if it’s an humane call for like a cat up a tree here in the U.K.” — Ray C. Smith
6.“We shut some lights off when its snowing hard because of visibility reasons.” — Ernie Berry
7.“Any non-life-threatening run: CO alarms in symptoms, non-emergency EMS runs, trees down, discretion of officer in charge, etc.” — Tom Lange
8.“As the officer, I won’t let my driver use the lights in severe fog at night (too much reflection back into our eyes). We’ll sound the siren as we approach intersections to warn other drivers.” — David Rossman
9.“We shut it down in school zones — don’t need the kids running out in front of us.” — Michael L. Staton
10.“We have a causeway in the area that is over a mile long. It is two lanes with no shoulders. If you try running lights and sirens, the drivers you encounter panic and stop right in the roadway. With oncoming traffic there is no place to go. It’s easier and safer to just slow down and turn off the lights and siren.” — Ronnie Hinze
11.“Sure, all the time, on the way back to the station after a call.” Tyler Sitzer
