We all know that when driving, there are many things that can cause you to stop and pull over, however, there is nothing more alarming than when you see those blue flashing lights in your rearview mirror.
Accompanied by a loud siren, you know exactly what to do when you see an ambulance or a police car.
Because these emergency services are crucial to keeping people safe and ensuring that people don’t become threatened with life-changing situations, we need to be aware of them and move out of the way.
There are lots of different emergency services and firefighters are up there with some of the most important in the world.
When getting pulled over, the majority of people will picture it happening because of the police, but can fire marshals pull you over legally?
Follow the rest of our guide to find out what fire marshals do and whether they can pull you over.
What Is A Fire Marshal? What Do They Do?
If you couldn’t guess, a fire marshal is an individual that works in society to help prevent fires and make sure that people remain happy and healthy without the potential loss of life due to fires.
This particular role is often seen within communities and municipalities since the potential for fire risk is essentially everywhere.
A fire marshal is often an experienced firefighter that is usually appointed by the local government and they will be tasked with keeping individuals safe.
They do this by locating potential fire hazards and risks, which will then be highlighted and prevented by taking certain measures.
In the event of a fire or a fire drill, the fire marshal should have been consulted and contacted sometime beforehand to ensure that the potential fire hazards and risks are limited as much as possible.
They will also make sure that the building itself doesn’t pose a significant risk to the people inside.
You can usually recognize this person very easily because, in the event of a fire, they will be wearing a fluorescent safety vest that says they are a fire marshal or safety marshal.
On top of this, they will also have some sort of clipboard because they need to have a list of people that they need to account for.
What Are Fire Marshals Allowed To Do?
One of the most important things a fire marshal does is to ensure that the building or area that they are in is safe and has been accurately checked and follows legal guidelines.
For example, they will make sure fire extinguishers are in working order, ensure that fire escapes and exits aren’t obstructed and that potential hazards are assessed and prevented.
Ultimately, these people are allowed to perform routine inspections to make sure that the workplaces and locations that they are visiting are protected and have taken the correct measures to prevent the chances of potential fires, whether they be electrical or otherwise.
Fire marshals can also take appropriate action if a fire occurs. This means that they can instruct and remind people that they shouldn’t waste time collecting their belongings because of how time-sensitive these situations can be.
In addition, they can also remind people to remain calm and collected, rather than pushing past other people to get free from the building, and potentially, the fire.
As well as this, they must be first-aid trained and may be permitted to fight a fire when necessary.
One of the most important things that fire marshals can do is to make sure that the people evacuating the building know where to go and don’t take too long to get to the rendezvous point.
This is essential to keeping people safe and ensuring that they know what to do in the event of a fire.
But, many people wonder, how much authority do these people have? Can they pull you over, or maybe even detain you, in certain situations? Let’s find out.
Can Fire Marshals Pull You Over?
So, now that we understand what a fire marshal does and who they are, you should understand they are different from firefighters, despite what some people might think.
This means that fire marshals can have the legal authority to prevent the loss of life and make sure that people remain safe and sound.
This means that they have similar powers to police officers in the right situations and events, meaning that they can shut businesses down if they don’t adhere to the right rules and safety guidelines.
They can also issue citations to those who fall short of certain expectations and even make arrests if it helps to fight against fires and ensure the safety of the public.
So, technically, they are allowed to pull people over and will do so if they see fit. However, they will seldom do this because the situation rarely calls for this to happen.
Just because fire marshals have the powers to do this, doesn’t necessarily mean that they will.
Other emergency service officers, like the police, will often be around in the event of a fire and they will usually take charge of these tasks.
Alternatively, fire marshals can make arrests when they see fit and will do so for people they believe to be guilty of arson or negligence leading to fires.
That being said, police will often be involved and kept in the loop so these things can also go through them.
Final Thoughts
That’s that! Fire marshals are very important people and will do everything in their power to ensure that people and businesses avoid fires and remain safe within society.
Because of how serious these situations can be and the devastating effects that fires can have on people’s lives, fire marshals have powers similar to police officers when the situation allows and they will use these powers to help prevent fires.
The ultimate answer is that they can pull you over and stop traffic if they need to, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that they will do so!
