HELP—WITHIN REASON
“Station 11, a rescue call. Child locked in an automobile. Vehicle engine running. Vehicle located in the driveway of 15 West Mountain Avenue. Time out: 7:45 a.m.”
For a fire department to respond to a call for a vehicle lockout used to be rare. Cars in the 1960s and 1970s were easy to unlock with only a few simple tools and a little patience.
Recent changes In the automobile industries’ thinking regarding vehicle security has made locked vehicles more difficult for the average person to open up. Calls for assistance with vehicle lockouts have skyrocketed In recent years. Police agencies, already swamped with nuisance requests, Increasingly pass the buck onto the local fire departments.
Some fire departments have chosen to ignore the situation, hoping that it won’t happen in their district. However, the problem doesn’t go away by turning your back on it! Other fire departments simply refuse to get involved, claiming it’s not their job—not a good attitude to have if you want to survive in this world.
Also an extreme is the chance of a fire department running thousands of calls a year for the lockout of an automobile. This is truly an abuse of the spirit of the fire service. The logical median lies somewhere between these extremes.
Progressive fire service leaders are realizing that to answer all requests for vehicle lockouts can become an unwanted burden. The introduction of recent automobiles with plastic door lock/ latch mechanisms, those designed to resist tampering by falling apart inside the doors when pushed or pulled, open the fire service “good guys” up to a whole new legal liability problem. Who will pay for the towing and repairs necessary to rebuild the Internal door mechanism? We were just trying to help out, remember?
The recommendation Is made for each fire department to adopt its own policy regarding the specifics of vehicle lockout calls.
The safest policy to date, avoiding potential legal complications in the future, Is one of response only if a verifiable life-threatening situation or hazard exists (man slumped over wheel, child locked In automobile, etc.). Police agencies, private locksmith agencies, car dealerships, and two truck agencies are among those who should be left to handle the routine vehicle lockout with only the owner inconvenienced. You would be surprised how fast a second set of keys is ordered after the owner’s first service call from a locksmith.
What is the standard operating procedure for your fire department? Will you be the ‘good-guys’ or…?
