Road signs remind motorists to yield when they see a flashing green light. Pulling over and yielding the right away is a courtesy and helps firefighters arrive to the station sooner.

Hub Staff

In the late 1990s, the Ontario Highway Traffic Act was amended to permit volunteer firefighters to install a single green flashing light in their personal vehicles to use when responding to an emergency.

The purpose of the light is to notify other motorists that a firefighter is headed to a call and pulling over and yielding the right of way when you see the light flashing in your rear view mirror is considered a courtesy.

In an April 23 interview with Saugeen Shores Hub, Saugeen Shores Fire Chief Phil Eagleson explained. When a volunteer firefighter is called, they report directly to their designated fire hall where they suit up and load onto the fire truck, he said. This means if you see a green flashing light in Southampton or Port Elgin that is a volunteer firefighter on his or her way to their station in response to an emergency call.

Eagleson said that each of the Saugeen Shores fire stations is home to 24 volunteer firefighters. So on a regular single station response, an emergency call could trigger up to 24 green flashing lights as the firefighters make their way to their station.

"If you see one green flashing light you can expect to see another one," explained Eagleson, adding that if the incident is more severe and warrants response from both stations, there could be 48 lights on the roads.

While drivers are not required by law to pull over for a green flashing light, they could be going to your house, Eagleson remarked.

“Seconds matter in a medical response or a fire response," he said. "If it lets them get here a few minutes earlier, it lets them get to the scene a few minutes earlier," said Eagleson.