I support her, almost

I like this, it’s what we all should be doing anyway. There are entirely too many close calls and collisions with fire apparatus. 

From firefightereclosecalss.com

Perhaps you are following the issue down in Austin (Texas) where the Fire Chief wants members to briefly stop and make sure intersections are clear before proceeding through red lights, stop signs, things like that.
Some Austin Firefighters are concerned about the new policy ordered by Fire Chief Rhoda Mae Kerr. Under the policy, Firefighters must drive the speed limit and come to a complete stop at intersections before proceeding during an emergency. They don't have to wait for the light to turn green-just make sure it is clear.
However not everyone agrees.
"When we respond to an emergency we work as a team," said Steven Truesdell, President of the Austin Firefighters. "We have multiple sets of eyes surveying the traffic and the driver and officer work together to make sure they are proceeding through traffic safely." State law in Texas (like just about everywhere else) allows Firefighters responding to an emergency to drive over the speed limit and to go through red lights and stop signs.
You just can't hit anyone. And the only way to make sure that doesn't happen is to make sure it doesn't happen by briefly stopping-and then going thru when it is clear. That procedure works for thousands of FD's everyday across North America.
Some Austin Firefighters are concerned, saying the new policy is above and beyond the state law.
"We feel state law is appropriate. It requires us to use necessary caution and to be very careful," said Truesdell. But Kerr says the policy is designed to reduce the number of crashes where she is the ultimate person responsible-along with the officer-along with the driver.
So is the Chief looking out for her members?
Absolutely.
As she stated: "In today's world, there is so much going on in heavily-traveled streets. People are talking on their cell phones or texting or looking at their e-mails; we just want our Firefighters to have better control over hazardous situations"
So the order reduces Firefighter liability when driving apparatus.
So they don't hurt or kill someone who doesn't hear or see them coming.
So they don't potentially run into one of their own family as happened last year in Ohio when a Firefighter/Apparatus driver (who was doing nothing more than responding to help people with a vehicle fire)ran a controlled intersection without stopping, striking and killing 2 of her own relatives.
Literally a living nightmare for all affected. NO ONE wants to go thru that. EVER.
HERE it is:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ga_vHeGYQ34
HERE are some other related examples:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPeyFND68Zs&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9zAOEGAdfs&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZQMeGW-hyY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6l-BkRhcfE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGuZQGgXFgY
Wanna reduce response times?
A few tips include making sure your dispatch center processes and tones out serious calls in about 30 seconds. And  make sure the members get out and are responding in less than a minute. And while we don't know if there are any underlying issues in this case (that has been known to happen at "some FD's) however, with about 30 or so of us killed in the Line of Duty each year, and many more seriously hurt in vehicular related crashes, it makes sense. 
Fire apparatus in any FD is ultimately the Chiefs responsibility and anyone driving the truck needs to drive them in the manner that the chief wants. That's called following policy, training, orders and direction.
Stuff like that. No one likes to do that all the time, but we have to pick our battles. This one isn't worth fighting because the Chief is right. And NO firefighter WANTS to have a crash. But we have them and speed and/or intersections are the heart of almost all.
Fire service history has absolutely proven that the Chief is right and is attempting to help her own members stay out of court, out of intense mental stress counseling and out of attending the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend for one of their own.
Whenever responding to a life threatening emergency, EVERY Firefighter-from Chief to probie WANTS to get there "5 minutes ago"-but we have to get there. Our goal is to help people with a problem without becoming part of the problem. If we crash responding-we help no one and create a brand new emergency with a host of new problems-some life altering to all affected.
Quite often, a Chief MUST be THE Chief and it will undoubtedly reduce the members of any Chiefs fan club. That's OK, we save on postage. When you are a Chief Officer, a Company Officer or someone that establishes/enforces policy, we think it is better if your Firefighters don't like you in circumstances like this, as opposed to having them "like" you-and them then losing their life in a situation that YOU KNOW can be prevented-by being THE CHIEF.
We have to pick our battles.