Use of amber lights?

[shade]

We've been toying with the idea of changing our lens on the front of our units to eliminate the clear lights. All the suggestions are to shut down clear flashing lights on the scene and a few of our members are semi drivers and they say the clear flashing and rotating lights really blind the drivers of big trucks. National standards state we must have at least 1 amber flashing light on the rear, but we can find nothing about amber on the front.So here's the question: Do any of you have amber lens on your flashing and rotating lights on the FRONT of your units?

[akflightmedic]

They still use rotating lights??

But yes, our units in FL had strobe lights bars, strobes in the grills and we had flashing lights on the box above the cab that had amber lenses as well as flashing lights in the grill that were amber.

[tniuqs]

Oddly enough, the legislation here is over 30 years old...OMG.

All that is required "by Law" for an ambo is a rotating "RED" light that can be observed in 360 degree's.

Have you entertained the idea of Blue, its less harsh on the eyes and it is the first "observed" colour to the human eye ? Albeit depends on your state rules, we in Ambulance operations here are restricted as the Police are the only ones permitted to use a red/ blue combo.

cheers

[scratrat]

Actually, the first color the human eye can detect in all weather conditions, would be yellow/amber, hence the law that all ambulances have a rear amber light. Then blue, then red. Clear is just obnoxious. We have all LED lights and there are three red and two white on the front of the box. They are pretty obnoxious, but not as bad as standard incadescants.

[dahlio]

We have a couple of blue rotators on the front of our newest rig, I believe it really helps. When we were looking at a demo ambulance from PL, they had the 7 LED box lights in front, which a a couple halves were amber. I don't like the idea of amber in the front. Amber means caution, not emergency (in my mind). I believe they belong in the back of the ambulance, because if you're looking at the back, it's more of a "stay back", rather then when your looking at the front, it means more, "get the hell out of my way". Just my opinion.

[tniuqs]

Actually, the first color the human eye can detect in all weather conditions, would be yellow/amber, hence the law that all ambulances have a rear amber light. Then blue, then red. Clear is just obnoxious. We have all LED lights and there are three red and two white on the front of the box. They are pretty obnoxious, but not as bad as standard incadescants.

Are you sure about that ?

Do you get a lot of snow storms/ blizzards in Florida ? The contrast of a blue light "I would think" may make it more noticable and an earlier recognition of a problem.

The amber or yellow is such a common warning light as to be pretty much ineffect (due to conditioning) just my way of thinking.

cheers

[scratrat]

Yes, I am sure. I came from snow land.

Yellow is the first color seen in fog, rain, snow, etc. Blue is second.

Line up three lights spaced about 2-3 feet apart and close your eyes. Open then and see which one gets focused attention first...

[KMAC]

I know NFPA states NO amber to the front. Are you specing to NFPA standards? That standard can be found as NFPA 1901-32

[strippel]

I am by no means pro NFPA, but you will probably not find other emergency vehicles with amber toward the front.

We solved the problem with white/clear toward the front. On our older trucks, the white lights would turn off when the ambulance was in park. Those were either the center rotators, or intersection "sweeps" on a MX7000.

Some of our ambulances had the Whelen bar (rotators and flashers), with a center white flasher. They would turn the white flasher and rotators off when the ambulance was placed in park. We then replaced that with an Opticom.

Now our ambulances are all LED, with the white being an Opticom. The Opticom turns off when the ambulance is in park, allowing traffic lights to work normally, and not blinding oncoming traffic.

In PA, we are only allowed to have one white light (showing) front, and amber only to the rear.

[KMAC]

Ok. Generally speaking, with all our apperatus at my various departments, when the vehicle is put in part all the clear it turned off (or when the vehicle's warning lights are put into 2ndary mode) Just as a little extra point, Aside from wig-wags we do not have any clear at eye level (IE not in the grill, windshield, ect)