What are the best types of emergency light for first responders?

Jul 11, 2011 by admin

Emergency vehicles must navigate traffic at high speeds when responding to an emergency. This poses a potential threat to other drivers, pedestrians, cyclists, and anyone else in the surrounding area. Sirens, lights, and other warning devices are critical components in alerting the public of an emergency vehicle’s approach. Most people will automatically pull over to the right, and if unable to come to a complete stop, they will slow down considerably. This helps to prevent accidents and other scenarios that may hinder the emergency response and jeopardize lives.

Emergency vehicles such as police cars, ambulances, and fire engines, use many different types and colors of emergency light. Many other semi-emergency vehicles, tow trucks, and others use warning lights as well.

In many cases, emergency departments choose and purchase their own lights, with little standardization across municipalities. However, if an emergency light is not effective of warning motorists of an emergency vehicle’s approach, the responder and the public are in danger. Thus, there is a clear need for some standardization to ensure the public’s safety. This standardization would prevent drivers from beings exposed to a wide range of emergency lights and would help to ensure drivers respond appropriately.

Anyone responsible for purchasing warning lights for emergency vehicles faces a wide and confusing variety of emergency light, with different optical, mechanical, and electrical characteristics. A large number of manufacturers produce these emergency lights, and an even larger number of retailers sell them. Emergency responders need to be assured that the lights they purchase and use work reliably. Today, emergency vehicle warning lights consist of four main types—rotating, oscillating, flashing, and steady.

Work vehicles and equipment commonly use rotating lights at night because they provide better distance information. Mounting emergency light in pairs provides even more accurate distance information and ensures visibility if one light malfunctions or is somehow blocked from sight. These lights are typically mounted on the roof of the vehicle.

Oscillating lights are typically mounted on dashboards. Flashing lights are usually mounted in the center of the front grill. This placement is optimal because the emergency light is less likely to be confused with the headlights and is easy to see in a driver’s rearview mirror. The simplest form of emergency light is a steady light. These may be white lights used on the scene to provide lighting for the emergency responders, or they may be colored lights used to call the public’s attention to the emergency vehicles. Many times, steady lights are used with other types of light as well.