Thoughts on towers being recognized as First responders.

[Chad Yarbrough]

Many in the towing industry feel we need to be classified as first responders.  I tend to agree. I would like to know everyone's opinion on why the towing industry should or should not push for this designation.  I believe it would offer more protection from liability in many roadside situations and incidents.  I believe towers should have the same protections as Fire and EMS as far as being able to take a lane without worrying about liability (as long as proper procedures are followed), and to empower the move over laws as striking a first responder vs a "tow truck operator" Those laws for first responders carry much higher penalties.  I want to make clear that I do not want or believe towers should have the ability to run redlights or run sirens like fire and ems and police. 

 

What are your thoughts?

[goodmichael]

I am against towers being designated as first responders due to the poor choices in work habits that many operators present. As far as liability, it is a sad fact that those who follow the rules have to carry the burden of high insurance to cover owners and operators who do not work with safety in mind. Even after they are given the opportunity to be properly trained, and have proper techniques demonstrated.

I really would like to see all unsafe operations fail, go out of business, and be a distant memory. 

Then the extra burden will be off the shoulders of those who have the desire to run  their business the proper way.  And operators as a whole will be much safer.

[GRUMPS The Towman]

The Industry as a whole unfortunately, is not ready for that designation. There has been many occasions where recovery operators are needed to secure a wreck for victim extraction, At this juncture it still needs to be on a case by case basis. The standards of training are evolving and will continue to do so ( i hope ) and there will come a day where towing and recovery can be designated as first responders.  

[TowZone]

Just go watch the _ _ _ _ being posted on FB and you will quickly realize why the industry has a difficult time with the title First Responder.

 

First Responders have continuous training. The majority of the industry does not.

 

First Responders always arrive on scene in proper uniform regardless of time. The majority of the industry does not.

 

First Responders ______ I could go on and on. While there is a segment of the industry that can relate to being a First Responder, Participate in on going Training and address a scene in a Professional manner. The majority of the industry does not.

 

Perhaps a video series with a Q & A at the end would help get us to the point that many desire. Would the majority of the industry participate, even if that were available free for just signing up? Sadly, I doubt they would...

 

This is what Tough Love of the Industry looks like! Sorry, if I offended anyone!

[GRUMPS The Towman]

Agreed. I love this industry and always will. It has been good to me and supported me and my family well, but there is always that stark reminder of whats going on out there. Best way I can see to put it is , Nobody goes out and buys a fire truck and turn out gear and calls themselves firefighters yet anyone can go out buy a tow truck and a cheap reflective vest and call themselves a tow operator.

[rreschran]

Hi Mr. Chad ... I'll tag on what Grumps mentioned, I once purchased a retired fire truck for our rural community, but, that fastly ended when my insurance company wouldn't approve me for an insurance certificate because I wasn't trained in FF techniques nor could I remotely be certified as a private fire department in California.

 

Note: Each of the responses herein solidly mentions training. Tow company owners balk at the value of training because it's costly. I'm not speaking of in-house training, but formal training recognized by individual states, the law enforcement community and insurance providers. Even with a free TIM training course available to all towers, there are literally thousands of towers who STILL don't know what TIM is. I think Texas has a good concept of state-required training through TDLR that other states should mirror their requirements. It's not perfect but at least it's a start towards any similarity of industry certification. Accordingly, because the industry is so poorly trained as mentioned in these posts, we haven't reached any level of ISO ratings where training and certification is possible. No matter what training certificate a tower holds, none has attained true certification and recognition including my company. As far as regulation goes, don't ask unless you're will to play dodge-ball with what will come with making sure everyone and everything in the industry is in-compliance.  

 

But, at the basis of tow operator training and what it means to be a first responder, break the term down to simply see that, "Yes", we do respond to calls, but we're generally NOT the first called out. We're typically LAST to initiate the clean-up phase after all detail gathering is completed, product is off-loaded, fuel cleaned up, injured are extricated, and the deceased are removed by the coroner's team. When you're the last one's in, there's no need for wreckers to roll code three, red lights, siren, horn's blaring. And, because there's NO formal high-speed driver's course for tow trucks and carrier's, first response won't happen

 

Without solid standards of training, regulation and continuing education requirements, this industry will remain in its same state as it has since Mr. Holmes rolled out the first wrecker. While there have been great efforts like TowForce and others, hoping to bring towing and recovery to its best level of professionalism, towers are their own worst enemy of not being together to raise their own value as an industry. It's really too bad to the point of becoming true, "first responders", is just a crappy pipe-dream. For those participants in these forums, I salute you for having the guts to tell it like it is. No apologies are necessary when the truth is seemingly spoken as it is.      R.

[goodmichael]

I am against towers being designated as first responders due to the poor choices in work habits that many operators present. As far as liability, it is a sad fact that those who follow the rules have to carry the burden of high insurance to cover owners and operators who do not work with safety in mind. Even after they are given the opportunity to be properly trained, and have proper techniques demonstrated.

I really would like to see all unsafe operations fail, go out of business, and be a distant memory. 

Then the extra burden will be off the shoulders of those who have the desire to run  their business the proper way.  And operators as a whole will be much safer.

[goodmichael]

I believe their is enough information required to develop a curriculum for a. Associates degree in towing and recovery. This would also include public speaking, physics, and a basic chemistry class. The secret to this industry being recognized and elevated to the level of a profession is education and training. VERY few companies offer any type of benefits, let alone demand rates that allow for these perks. Until these are offered, towing and recovery is in many cases merely a job to get a person through a certain point of their life. And with what many people are offered in return for the required experience, knowledge, education, and training that is all it will ever be.

[GRUMPS The Towman]

I like that idea. I would add some sort of geometry and engineering to the curriculum as well

[goodmichael]

Thanks for your input! Having an operator  who has completed say 60 college credit hours in report writing, invoice documentation, public speaking, english, math to include geometry, physics, chemistry, as well as the safe and proper methods to secure a vehicle and cargo, liability for the operator personally as well as the company they represent, preventative maintenance, and proper pre check inspection has to add value to both the individual as well as the entity they are employed by. And by adding/ commanding value there must be additional compensation involved as well.

[Jim B]

Just my opinion. Only companies that are towing for police agencies

[goodmichael]

Why would you limit experience, knowledge, education and training to only law enforcement towing? 

Edited December 29, 2019 by goodmichael

[TowZone]

goodmichael, I believe Jim B was focused on the First Responder Designation aspect. It seems that all the aspects of the dialog here come back to the Knowledge based Training through Education.

 

One thought that has come to mind would be that a First Responder would be in a vehicle which has proper equipment to expedite or respond code 3 to a situation. There are a few Companies which have such permission from their local authorities to use it appropriately when requested. That means Lights and Siren. Code 3 is Speed, for a Tow Truck that such just be stepped up from normal driving. I have such authorization, equiped with Lights & Siren and cannot tell you the last time I turned on my Siren. Likely, it was a wrong way driver a few weeks ago. I have been able to stop 3 wrong way drivers in the last 20 years and I didn't have a truck equipped with a siren at that time. Not a Fan of the Siren, for the fact that someone could say you used it improperly. So, I would have to be responding code in a situation that regards it. Since less than half of my responses are priority I do not consider myself a First Responder as such. Can you hold First Responder designation on a Part Time bases. I don't think so, but it is possible.

[goodmichael]

If a law enforcement entity requests that a wrecker expedite they should send an escort for the tow unit. It is still, even with an escort, a huge risk to your business. Government agencies have legislatively passed limits to their liability. You as a business owner do not. A police officer or EMT who passes through a red light and is struck when running code still has the responsibility to yield to oncoming traffic. If they are involved in a crash, they are still protected. You as a driver, or a business owner are not. A law enforcement officer making such a request is a huge gray area. A law enforcement officer in Texas can request that you assist them in person, but they have no authority to shield you from the consequences of a traffic violation. And if you are exceeding the speed limit by 1 mph, you are violating the law. In the event that a collision occurs, the governmental agency will turn their back on you. And many times will be prepared to put the screws to you.

We can not get everyone on board to use safety chains, auxiliary lighting and safety ppe. We still have people who will not take a few extra seconds to operate controls that limit their exposure to danger. I do not think these operators are skilled in the ksa's required to do thier job as it is written now. When they reach that llevel of awareness, then they might be worthy of a siren.

[GRUMPS The Towman]

The first responder designation would I assume be a title only held by towing companies affiliated with law enforcement. i see no reason for the local repair shop who just has a wrecker to run around grabbing their customers vehicles to be labeled as such. There are some states that already have first responder towing services I believe. Missouri is one that does. I dont know what the requirements are that they have to meet for that designation, but i assume there is an incredible amount of training, insurance requirements, t.i.m.s. training and so on for those guys to go code 3. Obviously there are areas in this nation where that type of response is warranted. I can say with certainty that my region is not one of them. In my opinion it would cause way more harm than good. I do feel that a more uniform and standardized training program could be implemented such as a college course . It would take the work of many dedicated professionals and of course some sort of legislation by the government that would take beyond years. Maybe, Just maybe I will still be alive to see the day.

[rreschran]

I happened on a website where a woman in, Holiday, Florida, started a Facebook movement (4-years ago) to have tow trucks recognized as first responders. Her's was a petition for tow trucks to be able to park at home and respond to urgent calls by law enforcement with intent the petition would garner enough signatures to send it to the Florida senate ... there were 177 signatures. I'm not so sure the motoring public or even tow operator's in Florida were too passionate about her reasoning, however, I salute her attempt to do something.  Petition closed.     R.

 

https://www.change.org/p/florida-state-house-change-the-law-making-tow-trucks-first-responders

[brian991219]

Chad,

 

I understand where you are coming from, and knowing the caliber of your operation I believe you would step up to the plate and jump through the hoops required to obtain, and maintain, certification at a level equivalent to other first responders. Sadly, the vast majority of towers will not.

 

That said, I do not want to get caught up in a name designation. First responder, primary incident responder or any other form of title is just that, a title. I am happy with being designated as a tow operator, however I do believe there needs to be different levels of tow operators. To draw from Texas, they have incident management towers as the highest level and only ones authorized to respond to crashes and other serious events. Perhaps we need a national standard that designates the level of tow training a responder has, such as incident management, high speed highway authorized or basic tower (for parking lots, driveways and slow speed roadways)?

 

Just because we are for-profit businesses should not negate any regulatory relief for responding to highway incidents. The vast majority of ambulance repsonses in the US come from for-profit private ambulance companies. The biggest difference between those businesses and the average tower is the level of training and continuing education their workers undergo which has allowed for law makers to be comfortable with extending professional designations (and the liability releases that come with such designation) to these for-profit companies.

 

I strongly believe that the barrier to entry into the towing industry needs to be raised. There needs to be strict industry standards regarding training levels, equipment specifications and operating procedures for the different environments we operate in, similar in design and scope as the fire and emergency medical services work under. Until towers are no longer permitted to respond with substandard training, piss poor equipment and absolutely no personal protective equipment nothing will change. Reading many of the Facebook tow industry groups it is clear that most operators do not see the need for safety, nor do they accept that it is their responsibility to be safe and secure while working!

 

So, rather than wasting time on what our industry should be designated as, I would rather put my efforts into developing a national standard that can be taken to state and local officials and adopted into code, thereby setting a minimum standard for all towers to comply with or stop working on the highways. The designation will come later, after we as an entire industry, not just a small percentage of towers, are worthy of being included in the same field as other professional responders.

 

I truly believe that once the majority of the industry accepts responsibility for their own safety ans steps up to the plate regarding training -and just saying no to dangerous situations- we will gain traction in changing how towing is handled in many areas. I envision a day when the towing provider will be dispatched alongside the other responding assets to form a more coordinated approach to traffic incident management activities, rather than as an after thought as we often are treated today. It has always boggled my mind how the tow truck is the last piece called for a crash cleanup, do they think the vehicles are just going to magically disappear? Then it becomes a rush job rather than the tower having the time to do their job safely. You don't see the fire department rushing their jobs do you? Again, this comes from a lack of respect for our profession typically brought on by the less than reputable tow operations across the country.

 

The last piece of this puzzle is legislation that compels vehicle owners, and their insurance policies, to pay a fair price for our services. The fire and ems services invoice for their response, and they are paid regardless of the policy limits, so why doesn't the tower have the same recourse? Mainly because we have been so disorganized and have allowed it to happen to us for decades. This is where forming strong industry associations and actively participating in them will make a difference. Lawmakers listen to constituents, especially when they are well organized and professional.

[TowZone]

Randall, that bring up a variable that although I have heard of this before. I really have not considered the aspect of Tow Trucks which are subject to police contract tow calls at all hours. These companies in some areas either need additional staff to call out or do not have enough of these calls to run shifts. Therefore having access to the tow truck at a drivers residence is a necessity and sometimes and requirement. It would seem that the authorities would provide a waiver to these companies which would allow their drivers access to this equipment at their homes as long as all other rules are followed.

 

I have never understood why the towing companies that are effected by this are not dealing with it in a professional manner. However, I was told several years in regards to places like Holiday, Florida this was not an issue that was high on the state associations list. The suggestion was many just to move or hire drivers out of the area. Again, that was several years ago and I do not know what the current status is. We do have several members in that area that maybe able to advise.

[Chad Yarbrough]

I am not for tow trucks having sirens and being able to run red lights and speed. What I am asking is what other protections may be available for towers who are blocking an accident scene or aiding a disabled motorist. Fire and EMS have protections under emergency / first responders  that reduce their liability. I believe if we have emergency or first responder designation, we could increase training and evolve into a "respectable career" stereotype instead of the non professional stereotype so often given to the tow industry. 

[Chad Yarbrough]

Brian I totally agree with you. You have a much better way of articulating my thoughts! lol. I believe a national standard designation would give towers something to aspire to achieve! The national designation from a governmental agency would certainly raise the bar to set the best apart from the rest while increasing the industry perception by the general public and other government agencies. 

[brian991219]

5 hours ago, Chad Yarbrough said:

I am not for tow trucks having sirens and being able to run red lights and speed. What I am asking is what other protections may be available for towers who are blocking an accident scene or aiding a disabled motorist. Fire and EMS have protections under emergency / first responders  that reduce their liability. I believe if we have emergency or first responder designation, we could increase training and evolve into a "respectable career" stereotype instead of the non professional stereotype so often given to the tow industry. 

I would love to see the Federal Highway Administration grant towers the unrestricted right to perform lane closures on federally funded roadways if, and it is a big if, they only utilize properly trained traffic control technicians and standard temporary traffic control practices. In other words, don't just throw a tow truck into the lane to block it or lay out half dozen cones and call it good enough. Use the proper equipment and techniques to take control of the lane as required.

 

Absent that, it will be a hard fought battle in each state to have codes updated to allow for towers to take a lane with appropriate TTC procedures. Having a indemnification from additional liability due to closing the lane would be a part of this, as it is right now many towers are already taking the lane without the legal authorization to do so and are exposing themselves to legal liability should a secondary crash occur.

 

I support the sentiment of "blocking for a brother" but beg towers to only do so when legal, and with the express permission of the tow truck owner. If the owner is willing to accept the legal liability for what may happen that is their decision to make, not an employees choice.

 

Lastly, absent the red or blue lights many motorists will see a tow truck taking the lane as simply an arse looking to delay them and as such they will not give it the same respect they do for fire apparatus. This is why I am calling for using purpose built traffic control vehicles, aka attuenator trucks. Not only are these vehicles designed to soften the blow should a vehicle strike them they are also universally recognized as official traffic control apparatus and although still upset, the motorist will not begrudge the tower for blocking the lane. They will assume it is part of the state highway agency.

[TowZone]

Chad Yarbrough said:

"emergency or first responder designation, we could increase training and evolve into a "respectable career" stereotype instead of the non professional stereotype so often given to the tow industry."

 

Should the Industry be able to secure a type of responder designation. It would likely have effects the industry would not want to accept. While I agree Tow Trucks such be able to take the same precautions emergency vehicles take to secure an accident scene or simply prepare a vehicle for tow. I have to ask how many companies would actually comply to those standards which would be set and how would those companies that insure the industry respond. While I believe this could certainly lower the number of Tow Operator Life's Lost in a Year. I have been told it would increase the liabilities insurance companies experience as this would likely result in more of the insured equipment being struck. Life vs Property what will the insurance industry choose and where will the rates go.

 

Talk about rates, while a percentage of companies have raised rates and are now paying a living wage. The majority of the industry has not raised rates in order to not just raise the rate of pay, that should be a trickle effect. But, increase the level of Training would be a part of the equation. I know what percentage of the industry is involved in any formal training now. How many would comply if formal standards were to be set. This is something to industry must do more than research on.

 

I'll work on getting back to this topic, phone rings off the hook anymore with those attempting get back into the message board.

[GRUMPS The Towman]

What I see around here alot is Operators roll up on a scene and the FIRST thing they do is Look for the EASIEST route to load their casualty Even if that means setting the truck across the road blocking traffic to get dead on with the casualty. I on the other hand, usually 98% look to see how I can load my casualty WITHOUT impeding traffic even if it means additional time and equipment to do so. I DONT want my truck in traffic, I DONT want ME in traffic. I charge the appropriate rate to perform the job with SAFETY in mind. even if that means an extra 10 minutes to snatch off the deck and/or reposition. Bottom line is KNOW what your doing, CHARGE PROPERLY for what your doing and KEEP YOUR A$$ out of traffic as MUCH as possible.. those amber lights and reflective clothing DOES NOT make you invincible.  

[goodmichael]

When I graduated from St. Mary's University with my BA in 1993 one of the people in my class lost both parents and his only sibling as a result of state police abruptly closing an interstate highway to put up a roadblock to search for prison escapees. He received a 26 million dollar settlement. 

[Knighthawk Towing]

As tow ops we work side by side with first responders, we risk our lives and deal with the same dangers they do. Most first responders do consider us first responders because we do this, and a lot of times they couldn’t do what they do without our help.  That being said I DO believe we should be considered first responders, however I also believe there should be training and certifications that should be required before before receiving this designation, and this training must be kept up.  I am a big supporter of industry training.  Take a look at all the tow ops that have been injured and could have been prevented with the proper training, knowledge, and skill set.

[yoBdaBenO]

I have come to the conclusion we would be better recognized as Emergency Responders as compared to First Responders. I could be wrong, just my thoughts as it seems more could agree on an Emergency Responder title. I don't need either,  just do a job call me anything you like it isn't going to effect the way I respond to any call for service.