HAS LEARNED STATE POLICE ARE

TARGETING

PITTSBURGH AREA

FIREFIGHTERS WHO ARE USING

ILLEGAL LIGHTS ON THEIR PERSONAL

CARS.

FIREFIGHTERS ARE PUSHING BACK.

WENDY:

INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER

PAUL VAN OSDOL WITH HOW THEY

CLAIM VICTORIA ENFORCEMENT OF

THE LAW -- CLAIM STRICT

ENFORCEMENT OF THE LAW COULD PUT

THEM AND THE PUBLIC AT RISK.

REPORTER: WE

ARE TALKING ABOUT

THE BLUE LIGHTS THAT SOME

VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTERS USE WHEN

THEY ARE TRYING TO GET TO THE

STATION IN A HURRY,

AND THE RED

LIGHTS THAT VOLUNTEER AND PAID

FIRE CHIEFS HAVE IN THEIR

PERSONAL

VEHICLES.

THE RECENT ENFORCEMENT ACTIONS

BY POLICE HAVE RAISED ALARM

BELLS

WITH LOCAL FIREFIGHTERS.

WHEN EAST KAREN A KNEE FIRE

CHIEF ADAM COWHER RUNS HIS

LIGHTS HE'S HARD TO MISS.

YOU

HAVE IT COVERED HERE AND

THE RUNNING BOARDS AND AROUND

FRONT YOU HAVE IT.

REPORTER: THERE IS ONLY ONE

PROBLEM.

ANYTHING

YOU SEE INTERIOR

MOUNTED ON THIS VEHICLE IS

ILLEGAL.

REPORTER: THAT MEANS MOST OF OF

THE LIGHTS.

HE

FOUND OUT HIS LIGHTS WERE

ILLEGAL A FEW MONTHS AGO WHEN HE

GOT A VISIT FROM STATE POLICE.

THE TROOPER

ISSUED WARNINGS TO

THE CHIEF AND TWO OF HIS

VOLUNTEERS WHO WERE USING BLUE

LIGHTS LIKE

THIS ONE MOUNTED

INSIDE THEIR VEHICLES.

DID YOU HAVE ANY IDEA THAT

THE LAW

PROHIBITED THESE LIGHTS?

NO, YOU KNOW, WE BLATANTLY

WOULDN'T DISOBEY A LAW.

REPORTER: IN THE

PAST FEW MONTHS

STATE POLICE SAY THEY'VE ISSUED

25 WARNINGS TO WESTERN

PENNSYLVANIA

FIREFIGHTERS FOR

USING ILLEGAL LIGHTS.

IT ALMOST LOOKS LIKE THEY ARE

LIGHTING IT UP FOR

CHRISTMAS.

WE ARE NOTICING THESE

VEHICLES, AND WE ARE TAKING

ACTION BY ISSUING THEM

A WRITTEN

WARNING TO LET THEM KNOW, LET'S

GET THIS RIGHT SO NO ONE IS IN

DANGER.

REPORTER: A TROOPER SAYS THE

CONCERN IS THE INTERIOR LIGHTS

TO MAKE FIREFIGHTERS LOOK

LIKE

UNDERCOVER POLICE.

I'M NOT SAYING THAT THE

VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTERS ARE

ATTEMPTING TO IMPERSONATE

A

POLICE OFFICER, BUT THE

PERCEPTION THAT THE GENERAL

PUBLIC HAS, THEY DON'T KNOW

THE

DIFFERENCE, AND IT COULD BE A

DANGEROUS SITUATION.

REPORTER: BUT

COWHER WORRIES THE

PUBLIC WOULD BE IN GREATER

JEOPARDY IF HE FOLLOWS THE LAW,

WHICH ONLY ALLOWS A SINGLE LIGHT

ON

THE TOP OF FIREFIGHTERS'

PERSONAL VEHICLES.

I THINK IT WOULD BE LESS

SAFE.

THE

UPDATING MODERN LIGHTING IS

MUCH BETTER AND BRIGHTER.

REPORTER:

IT'S NOT JUST

VOLUNTEERS, THIS VEHICLE USED BY

FIRE CHIEF DARRELL

JONES ALSO

HAS ILLEGAL LIGHTS.

WHEN ASKED ABOUT IT HE CHECKED

WITH THE CITY LAW DEPARTMENT.

THEY

REVIEWED IT AND TOLD ME

THAT MY LIGHTS DO NOT MEET THE

STANDARD BY HAVING THE EMERGENCY

LIGHTS INSIDE

THE CAB OF THE

VEHICLE SO I IMMEDIATELY ORDERED

NEW REPLACEMENT LIGHTS.

REPORTER:

MT. LEBANON'S FIRE

CHIEF SAYS HE TOO NEEDS TO GET A

NEW LIGHT PACKAGE TO

COMPLY WITH

THE LAW.

IT'S VERY WELL LIT BUT THIS

DOES NOT COMPLY BECAUSE IT DOES

NOT HAVE

A 360-DEGREE LIGHT

MOUNTED TO THE ROOF.

REPORTER: THE LIGHTING LAW DOES

NOT JUST APPLY TO FIREFIGHTERS,

ACTION NEWS INVESTIGATES FOUND

SEVERAL CITY PUBLIC WORKS

VEHICLES WITH ILLEGAL INTERIOR

LIGHTS, INCLUDING THIS ONE USED

BY THE PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR.

IT HAS A

LIGHT ATTACHED TO THE

VISOR.

I JUST DON'T KNOW WHAT THE

REQUIREMENTS ARE WITH REGARDS TO

THE

LIGHTING.

WE CERTAINLY WANT TO BE IN

COMPLIANCE ABSOLUTELY.

OUR LAWS ARE JUST MAYBE 20

YEARS

BEHIND.

REPORTER: STATE REPRESENTATIVE

DAN MILLER HAS HEARD ENOUGH

COMPLAINTS FROM FELLOW

FIREFIGHTERS THAT

HE IS

SPONSORING A CHANGE TO THE LIGHT

LAW.

WE WANT THEM TO HAVE THE

RIGHT STUFF THEY NEED TO KEEP

EVERYBODY SAFE WHEN THEY ARE

RESPONDING.

REPORTER: RIGHT NOW THE BILL

FILED BY MILLER WOULD ONLY

AFFECT

VEHICLES WITH RED LIGHTS,

THOSE USED BY FIRE AND EMS

CHIEFS.

BUT SOME

VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTERS

ARE ALSO PUSHING FOR CHANGES TO