# FDNY question - Chauffeurs **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 18, 2010, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fdny-question-chauffeurs/547141 "2010-07-18T18:35:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Shinna\_Minna\_Ma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f08c70/32.png) [@Shinna\_Minna\_Ma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shinna_Minna_Ma)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2010, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fdny-question-chauffeurs/547141/1 "2010-07-18T18:35:01Z")
I know from watching several videos on Youtube that Batallion Chiefs and higher ranks in FDNY have drivers (I think officially called chauffeurs). Why? Can’t they drive themselves? What does the chauffeur/driver do at an incident? Is he a firefighter? Does he join an engine crew? What happens when the battalion chief is driven to a meeting - what does the chauffeur do during meeting time? Is this a full time position, or is it rotated among those at firehouses where the batallion chiefs are stationed? Any answers appreciated. –SMM ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2010, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fdny-question-chauffeurs/547141/2 "2010-07-18T19:10:35Z")
You may be slightly confused by the FDNY lingo. “Chauffeur” refers to the person who drives the fire engine. They go to a special driving school to learn how to do it [http://www.nyc.gov/html/fdny/html/units/fire\_academy/fa\_chauffer.shtml](http://www.nyc.gov/html/fdny/html/units/fire_academy/fa_chauffer.shtml) A high ranking official may have a driver as a perk of the job, but a FDNY “Chauffeur” drives a fire truck. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2010, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fdny-question-chauffeurs/547141/3 "2010-07-18T20:08:27Z")
> [@Shinna\_Minna\_Ma](#): > > I know from watching several videos on Youtube that Batallion Chiefs and higher ranks in FDNY have drivers … > Why? Can’t they drive themselves? Certainly they can (they probably drove themselves in to work). But they don’t, because they probably have better things to do. A Fire Department chief en route to a major fire is doing a lot of communication with the fire trucks already there fighting the fire, the backup fire trucks covering those stations, and other units that are on alert in case they are needed at this fire. He couldn’t do this if he was also driving the vehicle. Even if they are not going to a fire, but just to something else, chiefs have lots of paper reports they could be reading & dictating responses, etc. Basically, Fire Chiefs take years of experience & training to be able to do their jobs properly. Whereas a driver can be trained in just a few months. The chiefs’ time is limited, and thus too valuable for him to spend it on just driving. ---
**Author:** ![Fir\_na\_tine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Fir\_na\_tine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fir_na_tine)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2010, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fdny-question-chauffeurs/547141/4 "2010-07-19T00:24:47Z")
> [@t-bonham@scc.net](#): > > But they don’t, because they probably have better things to do. A Fire Department chief en route to a major fire is doing a lot of communication with the fire trucks already there fighting the fire, the backup fire trucks covering those stations, and other units that are on alert in case they are needed at this fire. He couldn’t do this if he was also driving the vehicle. The first five minutes of a fire usually determines how the fire will end. The Chief (or ranking officer) is like the ringmaster in a big circus. If he does a good job the circus is organized and the outcome is better than if everyone “just does his own thing”. The Chief can’t organize the circus and drive safely at the same time. ---
**Author:** ![cerberus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@cerberus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cerberus)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2010, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fdny-question-chauffeurs/547141/5 "2010-07-19T04:02:59Z")
A battalion commander in Last Man Down describes nicely what a chief does while his driver drives. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2010, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fdny-question-chauffeurs/547141/6 "2010-07-19T05:14:14Z")
I don’t know about NYC, but I have a friend who is a DC firefighter who broke his back while searchinga burning building. When he was initially back at work he was doing light duty which included dropping off documents around town in a DC gov. vehicle, paperwork, etc. It might be that drivers are older guys nearing retirement or injured firefighters on light duty. ---
**Author:** ![Snnipe\_70E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5a626/32.png) [@Snnipe\_70E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snnipe_70E)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2010, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fdny-question-chauffeurs/547141/7 "2010-07-19T06:07:23Z")
I a class that I took several years ago it was explained by a former department chief as other have stated the chief is to busy to drive and it would not be safe. And once at the fire the driver is the chief’s assistant, his go to man. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2010, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fdny-question-chauffeurs/547141/8 "2010-07-19T16:56:01Z")
> [@cerberus](#): > > A battalion commander in Last Man Down describes nicely what a chief does while his driver drives. And that is…? ---
**Author:** ![crazyjoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f14d63/32.png) [@crazyjoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crazyjoe)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2010, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fdny-question-chauffeurs/547141/9 "2010-07-19T17:51:40Z")
…explained in “Last Man Down” ---
**Author:** ![cerberus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@cerberus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cerberus)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2010, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fdny-question-chauffeurs/547141/10 "2010-07-20T02:11:39Z")
The chiefs are focusing on being ready to lead and coordinate when they get on site. They do that in transit, so that when they arrive, they’re ready. They’re planning, thinking, talking to other chiefs, captains yada yada. A chief needs to be at some reasonable state of readiness upon arrival. See [pages 28-32](http://books.google.com/books?id=PaXw3eDyO3kC&pg=PA31&lpg=PA31&dq=Richard+Picciotto+driver&source=bl&ots=WQalpjFH7h&sig=go_O1PaLzOpm5BC0wAn5dZomnag&hl=en&ei=TwVFTJHjHoP-8AbX-oSYBQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CBIQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false). ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2010, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fdny-question-chauffeurs/547141/11 "2010-07-20T16:41:09Z")
> [@crazyjoe](#): > > …explained in “Last Man Down” Oh. Thanks. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2010, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fdny-question-chauffeurs/547141/12 "2010-07-20T16:50:27Z")
It’s the same way in the military. The highest-ranking person in any land vehicle is almost always the guy riding shotgun.