Houston Fire Department Policy

Houston Fire Department requires all members to read through our departments policy. If our policies are broken at anytime, the departments Internal Affairs will conduct an investigation and place the member on a temporary suspension.

Houston Fire Department does not tolerate ANY form of hate, racism, and discrimination against ones sex, gender, or ethnicity. Any member who is apart of our department, who feels that they are a victim, please file an Internal Affairs report.

Houston fire Department makes sure that all members feel welcome and that they have a place help out at and make a difference in their community. 

All members must complete required trainings to use and operate certain vehicles. See our handbook for more details. At anytime if there is a member who has been witnessed operation a vehicle that they do not hold the certifications for, meaning on a scene or past the red lines at the stations, that member is subject to, demotion, suspension, or removal depending on the severity of the offense. 

If you are operation a department vehicle, and are being stopped by Law Enforcement, you are required to pull over and follow their instructions just as a normal civilian would. The only exceptions are if you are currently responding to a scene, and/or transporting a patient to the hospital. When you arrive on scene or to the hospital, you MUST advise your active supervisor, if there are none active, make a log in a supervisors DM's. Log must include, where you were when the LEO attempted to stop you, where were you going, did you break company policy when it comes to call response, and do you feel that the LEO had reasonable evidence to conduct the stop. Then follow all instructions as ordered. Any traffic violations committed while not responding to a call or to the hospital, will result in Driver Operator Certification suspension for the first offense, the second offense will result in suspension of the member, the third offense will result in a demotion and/or removal from the department. If you are not responding to a call or transporting to the hospital, you MUST follow all traffic laws and regulations just as a normal civilian would.

The Houston Fire Department has rules and tactics set in place to keep you and the community safe while responding to a call or transporting to the hospital. There is no code system for response, if you are requested by an LEO, and they request you respond "Code 3", you will respond with lights and sirens. If an LEO requests you respond "Code 2", You respond with due regard. If you are responding to a call where there has not been a call response request, you will respond with lights and sirens, unless you decide that it is not required. We require all personal to approach all intersections with caution, and make sure to clear them before entering. Clearing an intersection consists of, changing siren tone to either "Yelp" or "Powercall", and using the horn to make others aware. When approaching a stop light, depending on the traffic conditions, you must slow down and look before crossing the intersection. Any department personnel who have broken this policy will be subject to demotion, suspension, or removal from the Houston Fire Department.

Houston Fire Department strives to make sure all members are safe and return to the station with everything they left with, not including tools and equipment. In the event of a unsafe scene, and/or a response to said scene that becomes unsafe for you, it is required that you let the station know about what is happening or happened. If there is a traffic collision with a department vehicle involved, you are required to stop and exchange information with the other party. You MUST then let your active supervisor or any supervisor, about the incident. Every member after a traffic accident, will be investigated, and could be placed on suspension until the investigation is complete. In the event of a shooting, either on a scene, while responding to a scene, or at the station, you must follow these steps to ensure your safety. If you hear shots, do not be a hero, as a firefighter it is your duty to act, but that does not mean put your safety in danger. Quickly scan the area, look for a safe and protected area to take cover, make sure to tell people around you, "GET DOWN, SHOTS FIRED. GET DOWN." If the shots are being fired in your general direction, press your panic button and call for help. If you are able to get in your vehicle and drive off, you must. This means do everything in your power to get yourself and your crew out safely. If there are shots fired in close proximity to the station, the station will go into IMMEDIATE lockdown. If there is a lockdown is place, close all bay doors, get away from any windows, and find a secure place to bunker down. In the event of a lockdown, the police should be notified as SOON as the lockdown is placed. When the police arrive, DO NOT MOVE, allow the police to do their search, and follow ANY orders that you are given. After the lockdown has been cleared, all bay doors must be opened, and all vehicles must be pulled out of the bays. Vehicles are to be inspected to make sure that no bullets have damaged any of the equipment or vehicles. 

Houston Fire Department requires all personnel to use radio etiquette while transmitting on the frequencies. As of right now, 2/15/2026, the fire department shares a radio frequency with all departments, this may change, and the policy will be updated when it is. Transmissions must not exceed 10 seconds, unless it is important to the matter at hand. You must start your transmission with your respected call sign, examples are, ENGINE-1, LADDER-1, RESCUE-1. CAR is to be used ONLY by department chiefs or a member with explicit permission. All vehicles with the callsign CAR, are to be a Personally Operated Vehicle (POV), meaning no marked vehicles.

At the time that you are granted membership, you agree to follow these policies, and to act upon a policy being broken, in the proper way. No member in this department is exempt from these policies. Breaking any policy, you are subject to demotion, suspension, or removal.

-Houston Fire Department 

As of 2/15/2026 these policies are up to date.