Emergency lighting - what do you use?

[FireEMSPolice]

What do you guys use on your vehicles for emergency lighting?

On one of our patrol vehicles, a 2007 Honda CR-V, we use this in green:

http://www.uniformswarehouse.com/prostores/servlet/-strse-1126/All-New-Streamlined-Ultra/Detail

AVOID this lightbar (above) at all costs. After 2 months, the weak "alleys" are already about shot and you cant individually control the features with this.

On our other vehicle, a 2002 Ford Explorer, we were using a 48" Whelen Edge but it needs repair so I found a Code 3 MX7000 in storage. It was a plain old MX7000 with 4 strobes, alleys, takedowns and rear flashers. I took it and put the 4 strobes in-board and added 3 fast rotators. Its sharp now!

[Charlie Fox]

Our cars (we have five) use hide-away strobes in the tailights, two Mini-Phantoms on the rear deck (red) and a clear strobe on the dash. We have one car with a lightbar (per client request) - it's a Whelen with 4 strobes, four flshers, take-down and alley lights (amber to the front, red to the rear).

[SpecialAgentKC]

What do you guys use on your vehicles for emergency lighting?

On one of our patrol vehicles, a 2007 Honda CR-V, we use this in green:

http://www.uniformswarehouse.com/prostores/servlet/-strse-1126/All-New-Streamlined-Ultra/Detail

AVOID this lightbar (above) at all costs. After 2 months, the weak "alleys" are already about shot and you cant individually control the features with this.

On our other vehicle, a 2002 Ford Explorer, we were using a 48" Whelen Edge but it needs repair so I found a Code 3 MX7000 in storage. It was a plain old MX7000 with 4 strobes, alleys, takedowns and rear flashers. I took it and put the 4 strobes in-board and added 3 fast rotators. Its sharp now!

Chinese variety knock-off, methinks. File this episode under: "You get what you pay for." Buy American.... Take care. --K.

[FireEMSPolice]

SpecialAgentKC, yes it is a "China bar." It even says so on the box. The company didnt want to spend money on the Whelen Liberty I had spec'd out.

[tacscuba]

What do you guys use on your vehicles for emergency lighting?

On one of our patrol vehicles, a 2007 Honda CR-V, we use this in green:

http://www.uniformswarehouse.com/prostores/servlet/-strse-1126/All-New-Streamlined-Ultra/Detail

AVOID this lightbar (above) at all costs. After 2 months, the weak "alleys" are already about shot and you cant individually control the features with this.

On our other vehicle, a 2002 Ford Explorer, we were using a 48" Whelen Edge but it needs repair so I found a Code 3 MX7000 in storage. It was a plain old MX7000 with 4 strobes, alleys, takedowns and rear flashers. I took it and put the 4 strobes in-board and added 3 fast rotators. Its sharp now!

FireEMSPolice- Aren't you a member of elightbars too? Man, I thought you'd be able to convince them to get something better than that POS

[FireEMSPolice]

FireEMSPolice- Aren't you a member of elightbars too? Man, I thought you'd be able to convince them to get something better than that POS

I am. I tried to get them into anything other then a Chinese knockoff. Money talks I guess. $1,200 for a Liberty vs $xxx.xx for this crap.

[sgtnewby]

We have a Whelen LFL Liberty in blue and amber. It's mostly LED, but the corners are strobe.

http://www.whelen.com/details_prod.php?head_id=4&cat_id=85&prod_id=325

[Security]

We have a Whelen LFL Liberty in blue and amber. It's mostly LED, but the corners are strobe.

http://www.whelen.com/details_prod.p...85&prod_id=325

Hey, that's pretty sweet looking. How does security get to use blue lights, though? I thought that was for emergency vehicles only? At least in NJ it is...

[N. A. Corbier]

Hey, that's pretty sweet looking. How does security get to use blue lights, though? I thought that was for emergency vehicles only? At least in NJ it is...

Blue in Minnesota isn't what you think it means. Its just for government vehicles, any government vehicle can have it.

Red is the emergency/give right of way color.

Hell, MnDOT trucks use Blue to the rear.

But those HCMC ambulances, I swear, look like damned UFOs. You've got every color on that thing, and I think I saw green once!

[NRM_Oz]

Since Amber is our only colour here except for police, fire and ambulance who use blue and red, some companies will spend $13.99 and get a cheap revolving 12 volt light for their cars. About 100 hours and they need a new one as the lamp has burnt out and has fused with the casing.

You get what you pay for and with most companies going for the cheaper option you will end up with 4 times as many light bars but this leads to 4 times as many failures as well. Costs of lamps should come into the picture as well.

[Security]

Blue in Minnesota isn't what you think it means. Its just for government vehicles, any government vehicle can have it.

Red is the emergency/give right of way color.

Hell, MnDOT trucks use Blue to the rear.

But those HCMC ambulances, I swear, look like damned UFOs. You've got every color on that thing, and I think I saw green once!

Oh, OK. Thanks for explaining it to me. I wish we could use blue here, or even green would be pretty cool. But in NJ, we are stuck with amber only.

Anyway, we have three GMC Sonama trucks and just put these mini-lightbars on each of them...



We used to have the cheap ones that NRM OZ is talking about, but I have since pushed for an upgrade! They're not the best (I would have preferred full LED lightbars, but we didn't have enough room in the budget,) but I think we still did alright.

[Echos13]

We all are thinking about getting some mini-phantoms for our POV while working. By the 31st out main patrol Captains and the unit will be gone. No more sharing and switching out. And no more back up! One Officer has a set in his and they look nice. For the price they seem to be pretty decent.

[sgtnewby]

Blue in Minnesota isn't what you think it means. Its just for government vehicles, any government vehicle can have it.

Red is the emergency/give right of way color.

Hell, MnDOT trucks use Blue to the rear.

But those HCMC ambulances, I swear, look like damned UFOs. You've got every color on that thing, and I think I saw green once!

Nathan, they are UFO's..... All kinds of weird experiments and such.... Just kidding. (or am I?) The old rigs did have red all around, clear front center, and blue to the rear passanger side. Also, a green strobe on the roof, front and center to signify "Triage." The new rigs don't have the green any more though...

[Charger]

Our owner is too old fashioned, and prefers his old MX7000 rotator bars... Although he recently started switching to the new LED "craze"... He bought a bunch of those chinese knock-off bars.... They're decently bright, and the LEDs have lasted pretty well... But the lenses have all yellowed really bad, and the alleys/takedowns are completely worthless. (My old maglite was brighter/more focused)

[FireEMSPolice]

Our owner is too old fashioned, and prefers his old MX7000 rotator bars.

Nothing wrong with the MX7000. Really great bar.