Comment from Amy Speer on using lighting to divert drivers

October 11, 2022

In the latest issue of Fire Buyer, we discuss the biological engineering that goes into emergency lighting and how it ensures that emergency services remain seen by everyone in all situations.

Amy Speer, Director of Marketing, Command Light explores further this notion in an exclusive comment to Fire Buyer.

“In an era of distracted drivers, many departments are adopting new emergency lighting and vehicle conspicuity practices to better alert drivers and divert oncoming traffic away from the scene. Ongoing annual reports from the Emergency Responder Safety Institute (ERSI) show an alarming uptick in struck-by-fatality deaths of roadway responders.

“Additionally, the ERSI report documented an increase in departments adopting traffic advisors, such as LED arrow sticks and digital message boards, to improve visibility and provide clear direction to approaching motorists. The report also recommended departments use multi-level or high-rise light systems that can elevate warning lights above obstructing views to create visibility farther away from the scene.

“While some advisors utilized directional pulsing light bars, the study found that large arrow boards were especially effective at diverting motorists away from the scene. Command Light, a leader in scene lighting, manufactures a series of Traffic Advisors that can rotate up to 360 degrees, giving crews the ability to better position the advisor when the apparatus is blocking a scene.

“The ERSI also noted the use of traffic advisors on smaller vehicles, like patrol units and command vehicles, especially noting the NYPD Highway Patrol Unit’s use of elevated LED traffic light bars over the last several decades. For these small units, the Command Light Z-Lift elevates the emergency traffic advisor above the roofline 40” in 10 seconds and offers 90-degree left and right rotation to position the lights toward oncoming traffic.

To read the rest of this feature, please click here.