Since I have started this column a number of people approach me with their questions in all sorts of places, the latest while I was off-duty at a garage sale. The reader went on to talk about how all the volunteers with the township fire departments personal vehicles are different and how can the general public know when they are required to yield to these vehicles with their lighting equipment activated. He then asked what happens if the volunteer does not have emergency lighting but is using their 4-way hazard lights?

Michigan Vehicle Code, MCL 257.2, requires drivers to yield to all “authorized emergency vehicles” when their emergency equipment is activated. So the question becomes, are these vehicles considered “authorized emergency vehicles”? In MCL 257.2(1)a it states, “Authorized emergency vehicle” means any 1 of the following: Vehicles of the fire department, police vehicles, ambulances, privately owned motor vehicles of volunteer or paid fire fighters, or volunteer members of an emergency rescue unit if authorized by the chief of an organized fire department, a county sheriff, or the director of the department of state police, or privately owned motor vehicles of volunteer or paid members of a life support agency licensed by the department of licensing and regulatory affairs if authorized by the life support agency.”

So yes, these privately owned vehicles are considered emergency vehicles and you are required to pull over for them when the lights and sirens are activated. However, if the volunteer firefighter does not have visible emergency lights but is using their 4-way hazard lights on their vehicle they then have to abide by all traffic laws as any other citizen would, including speeding and stopping.

As a reminder in MCL 257.653 it talks about “Immediate approach of authorized emergency vehicle.” In subsection 1a. it states, “The driver of another vehicle shall yield the right of way and shall immediately drive to a position parallel to and as close as possible to the right-hand edge or curb of the roadway, clear of an intersection, and shall stop and remain in that position until the authorized emergency vehicle has passed, except when otherwise directed by a police officer.” The “Move Over Law” was written in regards to a stationary emergency vehicle with its emergency lights activated and the driver could be cited with a misdemeanor. However, in the previous listed MCL if the emergency vehicle is in motion and the driver fails to give the emergency vehicle right-of-way, that driver could be cited with a civil infraction.

Ashley Simpson is a Community Service Trooper for the MSP Alpena Post. If you have a question for Trooper Simpson, you can email her at asktroopersimpson@gmail.com or mail them to Ask A Trooper, Michigan State Police Alpena Post, 3283 W. Washington Ave, Alpena, MI 49707.