EMS style Hazards???

Modified and aftermarket systems, lights, wiring, etc.

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Rockrz
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EMS style Hazards???

Post by Rockrz »

I was just thinking....if you were to break down at night and had to be on the side of the road, wouldn't it be k00L to have those bright white fast flashing lights like you see on some emergency vehicles?

I know you can't have red, or blue, but you can have white and/or yellow since there are alot of non-emergency vehicles that have them such as private construction company trucks.

Anybody know where to get these types of lights?
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Post by F9K9 »

Any online police supply or Ebay has them. I have a four light unit strobe power supply in my way by whelen if interested. Also have 2 self contained whelen strobes. I do not know if lenses are still available and the blue ones are in them now..
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Post by Rockrz »

Yeah, I'm just planning for when I get my new truck someday...you know how that goes.

Hopefully, if I install something like this (I'm thinkin 2 on front, and 2 on back) I won't ever have to use them.

But, they would be handy at night to make sure those ID 10 T people see me and not run into me.
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Post by green02crew »

Just make sure you check local laws first. Depending on the state they use different colors for different things. For example here in NH we have blue for police, in CT blue is for fire. I'd hate to see anybody get in trouble for impersonating an officer!
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Post by HenryJ »

I am pretty sure that wigwags are illegal. I have seen strobes in some show vehicles, but use on the highway would probably get you into trouble.
Most often stuff like this just draws attention in an unfavorable fashion.
My vote would be to just use your hazards. If you want more, buy some LED road flares, or some triangles.

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Post by Rockrz »

White colored lights aren't illegal. There are tons of privately owned company vehicles that use these.

Obviously, red and blue can't be used and some states may not allow yellow, but they have no reason to outlaw whitle colored lights...so that's why the privately owned company vehicles use these.

My thought was if you were on the side of the road...having these lights would blow away having factory hazard lights, making your side of the road experience safer.
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Post by barch97 »

Rockrz wrote:White colored lights aren't illegal.
I don't think anyone suggested that they were... yet. But, now I am going to say that's not entirely true. SOME white colored lights are in fact illegal in SOME jurisdictions.

Plastic toy police badges aren't illegal either but if you use one to lead another person to believe that you have some legal authority over them, you have broken the law.

Plastic toy hand guns are not illegal either but if you pull a stocking over your head and brandish a plastic toy hand gun in front of the cashier at a liquor store, you have indeed broken a law.

You may drive around with a plastic toy police badge and a plastic toy handgun in your vehicle and never commit a crime. You may also drive around with white strobe lights and never commit a crime. I am certain however that any police officer in any jurisdiction that discovered you were driving around with these three items in your possession would have no trouble at all demonstrating probable cause for your arrest. Two out of three, I'm still fairly certain that you'd be asked to answer a few questions. One out of three, depending on the circumstances, you would surely attract suspicion. In any event, if you go looking for trouble it's not terribly hard to find it.

I think the point everyone has been getting at here is that you should check with your local (and every other jurisdiction you may one day have occasion to use these lights within) law enforcement agency regarding just how legal they are or are not.

This seems an extraordinary expense for a modification that may never be used and in the event that it were used (only in emergency situations of course) would not produce a significant increase in safety. It is far more likely to decrease your safety and the safety of those around you. Drivers are conditioned to react to four way flashing hazard lights that are standard equipment on all vehicles operated in the united states. To deviate from the norm will ultimately draw increased attention but as has already been stated, not the sort of attention I suspect you are looking for.

It is FAR more likely in my opinion that the addition of such luminary devices will introduce the temptation to abuse such devices. For example, a vehicle ahead of you is going slower than you in the passing lane... I know if I had a switch that caused my "white" lights to pulsate rapidly from side to side a la "police vehicle", I would use it no less than fourteen times every day.
Last edited by barch97 on Mon Apr 07, 2008 7:54 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by Rockrz »

barch97 wrote:I know if I had a switch that caused my "white" lights to pulsate rapidly from side to side a la "police vehicle", I would use it no less than fourteen times every day.
Well, that's where self control comes into play :D

Besides, having these lights isn't as noticable as people setting off flares on the road at night...that's pretty strange looking and it could start a grass fire that could burn down buildings, killing children and dogs and cats and release global warming putting the future of mankind in jeapordy.

At least my idea would help save the environment :roll:
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Post by green02crew »

Here white is illegal for private vehicle unless responding to a fire call. Yellow is used for civilian use and private companies such as plow vehicles.
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Post by Rockrz »

green02crew wrote:Yellow is used for civilian use and private companies such as plow vehicles.
Kool, then yellow strobes would be in order in your neck of the woods.
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Post by Guitar831 »

Well there's no listing on the internet of what I would choose but it is in the catalog

"Save $50 on Galls Hide-A-Way Strobe Kit with 90 watt power supply --- your best savings advantage! Kit includes:

One six-outlet 90watt power supply
Two pairs of clear(white) hide-a-way strobes with four 15 feet cables included

#8F-GR255 $289.97"

Some minor drilling required but these strobes would fit perfectly inside the front parking or fog light housing and the rear tail light housing without disrupting factory lights. In Mississippi and Tennessee clear(white), amber(yellow/orange), green, and purple can be used by non emergency/law enforment vehicles and private use.
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Post by rlrnr53 »

In WV, any vehicle using any type of aux. flashing or strobe, Is supposed to have a state issued Emergency vehicle permit. I see many vehicles with aux. lighting, although I don't know what the local authorities thilnk of it. I do know hat almost every vehicle that operates on or around a surface mine has a white strobe light for safety.
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Post by F9K9 »

Guitar831 wrote:Well there's no listing on the internet of what I would choose but it is in the catalog

"Save $50 on Galls Hide-A-Way Strobe Kit with 90 watt power supply --- your best savings advantage! Kit includes:........
Stay as far away from Galls as you can. I have dealt with the original owners (the Bloombergs) and the current owners for over 25 years. They are close by to me and we even had some some special S&W commemoratives built for our agency. Shop wisely. Find the Brand and part maker and go to google.
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Post by WileyHunter »

barch97 wrote:It is FAR more likely in my opinion that the addition of such luminary devices will introduce the temptation to abuse such devices. For example, a vehicle ahead of you is going slower than you in the passing lane... I know if I had a switch that caused my "white" lights to pulsate rapidly from side to side a la "police vehicle", I would use it no less than fourteen times every day.
Shoot yeah, I know I would. I used to have a top end car alarm on my old Rodeo. I used it several times while driving down the road, taking someone to the hospital ER. Most of the time people "respected" the flashy lights and sounds coming from the fast mover in the passing lane, SOMETIMES though, they didn't. Luckily no one ever got hurt and I never got "Busted", but with an hour (more or less) drive to the ER I felt justified.
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Post by Rockrz »

WileyHunter wrote:I used it several times while driving down the road, taking someone to the hospital ER
If there is a serious medical emergency...you won't get in trouble for using whatever your vehicle has to notify other motorists.

If a cop did ticket you for the lights or the speeding...plead not guilty and get it in front of a jury, and the charges will be dropped.

Most people aren't that stupid to penalize someone who is trying to save someone's life or otherwise attend to a serious medical emergency.

If I ever had to rush someone to the hospital....DOUBLE DAWG DARE them to give me a ticket, cause I'd have alot of fun with that...expecially once I get the story into the media.

This is the kinda stuff the liberal media eats up.
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Post by barch97 »

Rockrz wrote:If there is a serious medical emergency...you won't get in trouble for using whatever your vehicle has to notify other motorists.
I am so mounting a rocket launcher in the bed of my truck :thumb:
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Post by Rockrz »

Well, within reason...

I'm sure they would take issue if you blew a few folks out of your way with RPGs.

Might even end up down at Gitmo :?
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Post by barch97 »

"Within reason" is kinda vague though is the point I'm getting at. The range of "reason" may vary quite broadly from one motorist to the next... one law enforcement official to the next... one judge to the next...
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Post by Rockrz »

Well, if you had some fancy lights that are normally illegal to use on the road... but you did use them in a life & death situation running someone to the hospital...

You can easily beat that rap by making that law enforcement agency look like idiots in front of a jury and in the press.

All I'm saying is in this special circumstance (of you saving someone's life by rushing them to the hospital) you could easily get off, and most law dawgs wouldn't ticket you in the first place.
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Post by Rockrz »

Yeah, it's kinda hard to MOON someone and keep the truck driving straight...
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Post by roadrunner »

Rockrz wrote:Yeah, it's kinda hard to MOON someone and keep the truck driving straight...
Easy these days! :) Ooops I forgot to tell ya the laser is photo-infrared-movement seeking computer locked to any target my brain-linking mind control helmet transmits via computer to it! :hehe:
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Post by HenryJ »

I am going to ask that you not do it. Please do not mount emergency warning lights on your vehicle.

It seems that people become desensitized to emergency warning lights. Police, Fire, Ambulance, Construction vehicles, School buses, school zones, railroad crossings, etc. Flashing lights everywhere and much more frequently seen when compared to even a few years ago.
People just don't yield the right of way like they used to. Back in the day, Ma and Pa would rush outside to see what was happening when the flashing lights passed by. Seeing lights in the rearview they would move the the right. Seas of traffic would part and a wide path would be available for the emergency vehicle to make its way. Today it is common place and no one really takes notice as they once did. They assume that "they are after someone else", or "I'll make my turn before they reach me".

I would appreciate it if you would leave me something. Flashing lights and a siren are all we have. Well besides a great big truck.

The premise of saving a life by having them is a false hope. Your time and energies would be much better spent taking a CPR course, Farm medic class, EMT course, etc. Then you will have the skills to save a life.
The chain of survival starts with early intervention. Your taking immediate action on scene and making a call for emergency services is much better than risking your safety, the patients, and the publics by speeding to a hospital.
The emergency services personnel are the first step in any emergency. Our QRU will arrive within our response area within five minutes on average. Within the city usually within three from time of dispatch. Once vitals are taken and ABCs are taken care of, the patient will be transported by personnel that can do virtually anything the Hospital can do. These are not the body haulers of the past. These are mobile advanced life support vehicles.
The time you spent trying to rush to an emergency room is precious time that is lost. Help can be on the way to you much faster than you can travel to help. They do this daily and are very good at it. Enroute to the emergency room precious information will be forwarded and the hospital will be prepared for the arrival. This too is saving valuable time. If the injury is severe the patient may need services the closest hospital can not provide. In this case ambulance personnel can request air transport. Again the efficiency is better than the time spent rushing to a hospital, and then transporting to a rendezvous for an air ambulance. At the very least the air crew will be waiting at the hospital after being advised of the critical arrival.

I do respond to emergencies. We do not break traffic laws in our own vehicles or in emergency vehicles. The warning lights we display request other vehicles to yield their right of way. When responding to the station I do use my four way flashers. Rarely does this offer and benefit, other than drawing attention to myself. A volunteer firefighter recently received a prison sentence for an accident while responding in his personal vehicle to the station. Don't be that guy.

Our department stopped using emergency warning lights on our personal vehicles many years ago. We had a rapist in the area who used the flashing lights to pull over ladies and rape them. Recently a young man in the Boise valley was arrested for attempting to impersonate a police officer. He had a flashing light and wore black BDUs. And we have to wonder why people don't yield anymore? Any idiot can get a light.
Since Homeland security, many of our higher ranking law enforcement people started driving less conspicuous vehicles. The LED light bars are harder to see and the vehicles are suppose to make them less of a target.
Yet another reason any flashing light might be mistaken for a law enforcement vehicle.

I have laid out many reasons why I do not think it is a good idea, and why I hope more will resist the urge to add lights to private vehicles. Please leave the flashing lights to the vehicles that need them for the safety of us all.

Just because you can is not good enough. Do the right thing.

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Post by Rockrz »

HenryJ wrote:Please leave the flashing lights to the vehicles that need them
I have a legitimate safety need for people to see me on the side of the road and not run me over.

I was only thinking of putting them on the back of my truck in case I'm on the right hand shoulder at night.
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Post by HenryJ »

Really seems like you did not get the point of my post.

Buy a set of LED road flares, or traffic triangles. That is exactly what they are made for and will be recognizable as such.

If you are after "bling" , install a red LED light bar under the tailgate. It will operate with your directional signals or hazards.

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Post by roadrunner »

Gonna have to agree with Brule on this one. Too many strobes etc on the roadways detracts from the "noticeability" and "importance" of caution when they are seen by other drivers. Kinda like "light pollution" people complain of in cities. Too many lights and you can't see the stars or in this case the emergency vehicles. 8)
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Post by rlrnr53 »

22 years as a volunteer firefighter, and 32 & a half working for the DOT, I too ahve seen the way people ignore emergency vehicles with warming lights on. In WV, every vehicle that has more than the normal head, park and tail lights is considered by law as an emerghech vehicle. By law here, every vehicle must have a permit (blanket or individual) issued by the state. By using the lights or warning devices that Brule specified, you can save yourself much grief. Emergency lights are for emergency vehicles!
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