# Blue Lights.



## mikie (Dec 22, 2008)

This has absolutely nothing to do POVs!!!  Just thought the title would attract an audience.  

Do different units (ie an ambulance and a rescue squad) have different color emergency lights (ie light bars, strobes, flashers, etc) in your town/city/etc?  PD as well?  Does it help distinguish them?  ie Red, Blue, Clear.  I figured most trucks would have some sort of amber.  

I ask because I have been traveling between and across states seeing different emergency colors between PD and FD/EMS.  I was wondering if there was logic behind it.

Thanks!


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## Code 3 (Dec 22, 2008)

In California red lights are for Fire/EMS and red/blue lights are for police.


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## MMiz (Dec 22, 2008)

This is an old thread that talks about lights.  I think you'll find that there really is no consistency across states, though the majority use red/white/amber.


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## Shaggy (Dec 22, 2008)

Hello,
here in Austria every emergency vehicle is equipped with blue lights only (PD, FD, Ambulances...)
Shaggy


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## tydek07 (Dec 22, 2008)

Our ambulances have Red/Blue/Clear lights on them. 

We work in 2 states, as we are right along the state border, North Dakota and Minnesota. I guess it is a MN law that blue lights must be on the right side of the ambulance. So on our light bar, and the back, blue lights on the right and red lights on the left. Although, we have red lights on the right side of the ambulance, so the law must just be towards the front and rear of the vehicle? haha

Take Care,


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## Dobo (Dec 22, 2008)

Back in Ontario blue lights used to mean snow removal but recently the police have been using blue and red


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## Scout (Dec 22, 2008)

i'm fairly sure blue is a euro standard


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## Laur68EMT (Dec 22, 2008)

Our volunteer EMS squad is under the umbrella of the FD so we run with blue/blue lights in our personal vehicles.  Ambulances are equipped with red and clear.  We are located in upstate NY.  

Other local ambulance squads that are separate from their fire companies run with green lights on their personal vehicles. 

HTH


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## Shaggy (Dec 22, 2008)

Scout said:


> i'm fairly sure blue is a euro standard



I´m not sure about the euro standard...

http://img227.imageshack.us/my.php?image=ambulance1zu0.jpg

This is from Spain.
Maybe blue is the main color for emergency vehicles but I don´t think it is the only color here in Europe.
Shaggy


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## Scout (Dec 22, 2008)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CEN_1789


now i'm not saying it is a definitive source, but it appears to be the way things are going.


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## TheAfterAffect (Dec 22, 2008)

Our Rigs are Rescue Ambulances, they run Blue/Red/Clear. Our Fire Dept runs Blue/Red/Clear. Our Police run Blue/Red/Clear. Vollies Run Blue/Clear on POV's. The only thing that runs something different is Rescue 976 the Squads Rescue Truck, When its acting as Incident command it runs Clear and a Solid Rotating Green Light on the roof Indicating Incident Command.


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## Tincanfireman (Dec 22, 2008)

Shaggy said:


> Hello,
> here in Austria every emergency vehicle is equipped with blue lights only (PD, FD, Ambulances...)


 
But those air horn (hi-low/neener-neener) sirens kick butt, especially on the fire trucks with the big onboard air compressors...


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## JonTullos (Dec 22, 2008)

In Mississippi, only LEOs are allowed to use blue or blue/red.  Fire and EMS use red or red/clear.  When I lived in Indiana, I discovered that green us used on EMS POVs.  In MS green isn't "supposed" to be used.  I should also point out that I've never seen a green light on any vehicle down here.


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## EMT007 (Dec 22, 2008)

I wish we could use blue - its just much more visible color among all the red and white lights on the road.


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## firefighter89 (Dec 23, 2008)

In my county all Fire/EMS/Rescue run either Red or Red/Clear and all police run Blue or Blue/Clear.


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## mikie (Dec 23, 2008)

Interesting input.  Thanks!

I would like to see blue, I find I can see it further away at night thus alerting people on the road can see you coming and have greater time to yield.  





MMiz said:


> This is an old thread that talks about lights.  I think you'll find that there really is no consistency across states, though the majority use red/white/amber.



I didn't find that in my search, thanks!

Though, you do realize that if I commented on that thread, KEVD would have a hay-day!


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## DR_KSIDE (Dec 29, 2008)

In Iowa any "Emergency Motor Vehicle" can have Red/Blue/Clear/Amber, but the Blue must remain to the passenger side of the vehicle if it is on a LE/EMS unless the EMS vehicle is owned/operated by a fire department, confusing huh.
As far as a POV, LE can have Red/Blue (mainly red), Fire is Blue, and EMS Clear, all require a permit to be carried inside your POV at all times, and the light is for identification purposes only, unless you are LE since that permit is different and designates your POV as an Emergency Vehicle when used for LE purposes.

I carry two permits, one for the EMS, and the clear strobe light on my dash, and the other for LE for my red/blues.

h34r:


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## imurphy (Dec 29, 2008)

Blue is the colour for every Emergency vehicle in Ireland. Garda (Police), Fire, and Ambulance. 

But I think I remember reading something last year or so that Europe want to change it to something like:

Blue - Police
Fire - Red
Ambulance - Green

A stupid idea I think personally. People know blue light means pull over *even though most of them don't* and I don't think confusing the general public is a good idea when something have been established over decades!


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