I would address the issue with the chief officer of the company to which this individual belongs and find out what their SOG/SOP (if they have one) states regarding responding/stopping in one’s personal vehicle at the scene of an incident.

Legally (state/local laws), it may be a gray area, as “duty to perform” may refer to an individual actually on duty. Various volunteer jurisdictions may interpret “on duty” to mean only when the individual is signed up to ride or actually at the station, others may consider it 24/7.

I function on three levels, Fire Fighter, Technical Rescue Specialist and ALS Provider. All three as a volunteer, I do not respond to many fires now a days, as there tends to be a substantial number of responders and unless there is a page for all available FFs, I keep a low profile. As a member (24/7) of the technical rescue team, I respond to all calls, as our team is limited in the number members and response by all available personal is always necessary. On the EMS side, unless I am riding on the Medic Unit as an ALS provider, my stopping at an accident scene, would be to provide BLS, since we are not permitted to carry any ALS equipment in our personal vehicles, doing so would likely result in lost of one’s license (which has happened). If I come across an accident scene, my stopping to help is dependant upon what units are the scene. If there is already a full assignment I will generally not stop, unless it is obvious it is a major incident and additional assistance is required.

Pete