Rescue51

Santee FD- Rear Emer/Warning/Caution lights

11 posts in this topic

Over the past many years in Santee, most their rigs only display red emer/warning/caution lights in the rear, with exception of their turn signals.  I am curious why this is?  Most agencies I know of in California will have both red and amber rear emer/warning/caution lights, often with the directional stick for the ambers.  My view is the combination of both red/amber is best for visibility (color differentiation is proven to be best), plus if the engineer's control head allows it, going to just amber rear cautions on or off a directional stick, if rig and scene are out of travel lanes, is less distracting to motorists giving them enough lighting to recognize the rig/scene, but not causing them to stop in their traffic lanes.  I also thought in the State of California that emergency vehicles were required to have rear facing ambers, but maybe I am wrong.  I am just wondering why Santee seems unique in their only red rear emer/warning/caution lights??  Thank you for any insights you have. 

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Cal statute states one steady burning red to the front, on flashing amber to the rear, that is the minimum required.  if they did not meet the minimums, could they be cited, yes, would they be cited, unlikely,  unless there was a traffic accident.

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Can the amber turn signals activated as hazards (4-ways) be considered that minimum of a flashing amber pointing towards their 6-o'clock?

Edited by Rescue51

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No requirement for flashing amber lights to the rear in the California Vehicle Code. Common, but not required.

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Maybe Santee FD with their yellow rigs, figured they had enough near-amber in the paint, they only needed rear red caution/warning lights! :)   But with the new red rigs being delivered, now they'll probably get rid of all the rear reds and go only with ambers.  :D  Santee FD always wanted to be different, but now they are like everyone else.

Edited by Rescue51

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I saw an ambulance the other day here in San Diego (maybe Adams Ave. or near it) that actually had a red and blue strobe bar on the front (white ambulance with orange striping). I think I made reference to it in an earlier post, but chalked it up to seeing it in a screen on a bus.

Not sure if that's technically legal, but it should be. A combo of blue and amber is always good for rear-facing lighting.

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To 'California Red':  Sounds almost like some LE vehicle, or maybe an ambulance from Arizona?   There have been some SWAT teams around the country that have bought either new or used medic type rigs to actually serve as a storage vehicle for all their gear.   Do you remember when the SDSO was providing medic rigs in our East County rural/mountain areas like Julian, Cuyamacas, and Mt. Laguna?  I believe the deputies manning those rigs were only EMT's  (maybe they had medics but I do not think so).  But wanna really age us, go back to when SDPD and La Mesa PD had Ford Econo vans as their ambulances for our city coverage (I believe they were called "Henry" units).  They had the single rotating beacon emergency lights, originally all red, then they went with blue rotating beacons with the single steady red forward lense. 

I too think blue emergency light would be great on fire/medic rigs, since blue is better seen at night, but I doubt the State of California is going to allow that.  The attitude is only law enforcement may have any blue.  In light of that (excuse the pun), I have stated I think in the front and side, the combo of red and white lights works best for recognition by motorists, and in the rear, a combo of red and amber. 

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there are several fire departments in orange county that have bought used ambulances and converted them to tactical ems units, the fire department paramedics are cross trained in swat tactics and respond on all swat calls  in these vehicles which have red and blue lights on them

 

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Howdy folks!

I noticed the big cities like New York City (FDNY) Boston, & Chicago FDs have blue on the rear on the new engines and trucks.

New State laws says blue on the rear of the units from what I read.

(CFD Used to have green on the front of the units but they eliminated it from the new rigs they bought)

Getting back to CA depending on the fire dept they have amber rear lights or Arrow Sticks (Directional lights).

Some do some do not.

 

 

 

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I was in Yosemite past week and the their ambulances have red and blue light bar. But primarily red warning lights. But they are also federal. 

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