STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
5509
2015-2016 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
February 24, 2015
___________
Introduced by M. of A. JAFFEE -- read once and referred to the Committee
on Transportation
AN ACT to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to affixing
blue lights on vehicles of members of a volunteer ambulance service
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Paragraphs 4 and 5 of subdivision 41 of section 375 of the
2 vehicle and traffic law, paragraph 4 as amended by chapter 465 of the
3 laws of 2010, subparagraph b of paragraph 4 as amended by chapter 143 of
4 the laws of 2011, paragraph 5 as added by chapter 197 of the laws of
5 1970 and the opening paragraph of paragraph 5 as amended by chapter 349
6 of the laws of 2004, are amended to read as follows:
7 4. Blue light. a. One blue light may be affixed to any motor vehicle
8 owned by a volunteer member of a fire department or on a motor vehicle
9 owned by a member of such person's family residing in the same household
10 or by a business enterprise in which such person has a proprietary
11 interest or by which he or she is employed, provided such volunteer
12 firefighter has been authorized in writing to so affix a blue light by
13 the chief of the fire department or company of which he or she is a
14 member, which authorization shall be subject to revocation at any time
15 by the chief who issued the same or his or her successor in office. Such
16 blue light may be displayed exclusively by such volunteer firefighter on
17 such a vehicle only when engaged in an emergency operation. The use of
18 blue lights on vehicles shall be restricted for use only by a volunteer
19 firefighter except as otherwise provided for in subparagraph [b] c of
20 this paragraph.
21 b. One blue light may be affixed to any motor vehicle owned by a
22 member of a volunteer ambulance service, or on a motor vehicle owned by
23 a member of such person's family, or by a business enterprise in which
24 such person has a proprietary interest or by which he or she is
25 employed, provided such member has been authorized in writing to so
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD08200-01-5
A. 5509 2
1 affix a blue light by the chief officer of such service as designated by
2 the members thereof. Such blue light may be displayed exclusively by
3 such member of a volunteer ambulance service only when engaged in an
4 emergency operation. The use of blue lights on vehicles shall be
5 restricted for use only by a member of a volunteer ambulance service as
6 provided for in this paragraph. As used in this paragraph volunteer
7 ambulance service means: (i) a non-profit membership corporation (other
8 than a fire corporation) incorporated under or subject to the provisions
9 of the membership corporations law, or any other law, operating its
10 ambulance or ambulances on a non-profit basis for the convenience of the
11 members thereof and their families or of the community or under a
12 contract with a county, city, town or village pursuant to section one
13 hundred twenty-two-b of the general municipal law; or
14 (ii) an unincorporated association of persons operating its ambulance
15 or ambulances on a non-profit basis for the convenience of the members
16 and their families or of the community.
17 c. In addition to the red and white lights authorized to be displayed
18 pursuant to paragraph two of this subdivision, one or more blue lights
19 or combination blue and red lights or combination blue, red and white
20 lights may be affixed to a police vehicle, fire vehicle, ambulance,
21 emergency ambulance service vehicle, and county emergency medical
22 services vehicle provided that such blue light or lights shall be
23 displayed on a police vehicle, fire vehicle, ambulance, emergency ambu-
24 lance service vehicle, and county emergency medical services vehicle for
25 rear projection only. In the event that the trunk or rear gate of a
26 police vehicle, fire vehicle, ambulance, emergency ambulance service
27 vehicle, and county emergency medical services vehicle obstructs or
28 diminishes the visibility of other emergency lighting on such vehicles,
29 a blue light may be affixed to and displayed from the trunk, rear gate
30 or interior of such vehicles. Such lights may be displayed on a police
31 vehicle, fire vehicle, ambulance, emergency ambulance service vehicle,
32 and county emergency medical services vehicle when such vehicles are
33 engaged in an emergency operation. Nothing contained in this subpara-
34 graph shall be deemed to authorize the use of blue lights on police
35 vehicles, fire vehicles, ambulances, emergency ambulance service vehi-
36 cles, and county emergency medical services vehicles unless such vehi-
37 cles also display one or more red or combination red and white lights as
38 otherwise authorized in this subdivision.
39 [c.] d. The commissioner is authorized to promulgate rules and regu-
40 lations relating to the use, placement, power and display of blue lights
41 on a police vehicle and fire vehicle.
42 [5. Green light. One green light may be affixed to any motor vehicle
43 owned by a member of a volunteer ambulance service, or on a motor vehi-
44 cle owned by a member of such person's family, or by a business enter-
45 prise in which such person has a proprietary interest or by which he is
46 employed, provided such member has been authorized in writing to so
47 affix a green light by the chief officer of such service as designated
48 by the members thereof. Such green light may be displayed exclusively by
49 such member of a volunteer ambulance service only when engaged in an
50 emergency operation. The use of green lights on vehicles shall be
51 restricted for use only by a member of a volunteer ambulance service as
52 provided for in this paragraph.
53 As used in this paragraph volunteer ambulance service means: a. a
54 non-profit membership corporation (other than a fire corporation) incor-
55 porated under or subject to the provisions of the membership corpo-
56 rations law, or any other law, operating its ambulance or ambulances on
A. 5509 3
1 a non-profit basis for the convenience of the members thereof and their
2 families or of the community or under a contract with a county, city,
3 town or village pursuant to section one hundred twenty-two-b of the
4 general municipal law; or
5 b. an unincorporated association of persons operating its ambulance or
6 ambulances on a non-profit basis for the convenience of the members and
7 their families or of the community.]
8 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
