# sirens and hearing loss?



## kai.kasin (Dec 1, 2009)

Hi, i just wondering, i have seen a few ambulance runs in youtube from over there (i am from norway) and it seems that u use sirens and airhorn alot, do u have problems with your hearing after a few years?

You have alot of different sounds and airhorns in your ambulanses, is it kind of a system -where to use what?  it seems that u driving with one hand on the steeringwheel and one one the controlpanel, istn it a safer way to do it?

and the priority, code 3 is the highest one? and code one is the lowest, do u use light and sirens in code 1?(the lower code)


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## JPINFV (Dec 1, 2009)

kai.kasin said:


> You have alot of different sounds and airhorns in your ambulanses, is it kind of a system -where to use what?  it seems that u driving with one hand on the steeringwheel and one one the controlpanel, istn it a safer way to do it?


Sure. You can either not change the sound or use the "hands free" option which varies the siren when the horn is pressed. As far as the air horns go, to be honest I never use it and most of the people I do see using them tend to tailgate instead of giving the people in front of them enough time to recognize, evaluate, and react to the emergency vehicle. These are the same people who get trapped at intersections and force other cars into an intersection against a red light instead of just crossing over to the empty lanes going the opposite direction.


> and the priority, code 3 is the highest one? and code one is the lowest, do u use light and sirens in code 1?(the lower code)



It's regional. Some areas use code 3 (emergency lights and sirens) and code 2 (normal driving). Others use a priority scale (e.g. priority 1: lights and sirens, life threatening condition, priority 2: crew discretion, potentially life threatening condition, priority 3: not life threatening, normal driving, and priority 4: non-emergent interfacility transport). The different levels of priority will change depending on location.


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## rescue99 (Dec 1, 2009)

kai.kasin said:


> Hi, i just wondering, i have seen a few ambulance runs in youtube from over there (i am from norway) and it seems that u use sirens and airhorn alot, do u have problems with your hearing after a few years?



EHHH? ^_^    It's a well established risk of the job.


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## kai.kasin (Dec 1, 2009)

ok, so its acceptable just because its a well established risk of the job? what about doing something about it?


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## rescue99 (Dec 1, 2009)

kai.kasin said:


> ok, so its acceptable just because its a well established risk of the job? what about doing something about it?



Who the heck says it's acceptable? Personal responsibility my friend...personal responsibility! Manufacturer's have and continue to do their job in making improvements. The rest is up to us.


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## reaper (Dec 1, 2009)

No real problem with hearing loss. Years ago sirens were mounted on the light bars on top of the trucks. They realized that this was causing hearing problems for those in the cab.

Almost all newer ambulances have the sirens mounted on the front bumpers or grill. This is done so the sounds is away from the cab.

So, unless you run around with the windows down, the sound is not really a problem.


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## rescue99 (Dec 1, 2009)

reaper said:


> No real problem with hearing loss. Years ago sirens were mounted on the light bars on top of the trucks. They realized that this was causing hearing problems for those in the cab.
> 
> Almost all newer ambulances have the sirens mounted on the front bumpers or grill. This is done so the sounds is away from the cab.
> 
> So, unless you run around with the windows down, the sound is not really a problem.



Ahhhhh...reaper gets the prize! Sound is still somewhat of a risk but, the biggest risk comes from leaving windows wide open.


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## Medic744 (Dec 1, 2009)

kai.kasin said:


> ok, so its acceptable just because its a well established risk of the job? what about doing something about it?



Our sirens have that convient "dummy warning" on them that state that prolonged exposure will cause hearing loss and not to be in close proximity while operating.


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## kai.kasin (Dec 1, 2009)

yes ok, the sirens isnt a big problem for the hearing . case closed   we actually does have sirens in norway also,  haha , but mabye more restricted when to use it. 
When i use the siren, i think its a hell of a noise, even when its placed in front of the bumper, so that is why i asked. (we use Wheelen)


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## zmedic (Dec 1, 2009)

Also let's just say that some of us used some discretion about the use of the siren. Did our protocols say that if the emergency lights were on our siren was on? Yes. Did we follow that, especially at night? No. We often would run at night without the siren and use it for intersections or when there were other cars. 

Now it would have been our butts if we hit someone with lights on but no siren. But it 1: reduced the number of pissed off calls from citzens at 2am. And 2: reduced the time spent exposed to the siren from 100% of the run to (I'm making this number up) 20%. 
That combined with running only about 9% of our patients to the hospital emergent I think prevented a lot of hearing loss vs all sirens, all the time. 

Also I've seen a lot of fire departments have those headsets where they can hear the radio but it cuts down on sound from the siren.


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## Achromatic (Dec 1, 2009)

zmedic said:


> Also I've seen a lot of fire departments have those headsets where they can hear the radio but it cuts down on sound from the siren.



This. These = fantastic. All of our engines and rigs have them. I've been in a 35' engine doing code 3, engine roaring, sirens and air horns blaring, and it's been barely noticeable, whilst talking on intercom to other people in the cab, voice activated. Even with the voice on, the sirens weren't particularly noticeable, still silenced by the noise canceling mic.


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## Scout (Dec 1, 2009)

rescue99 said:


> EHHH? ^_^    It's a well established risk of the job.



IDIOT....... I'm actually speechless. Its dangerous so we do nothing....


OP most EU regions I have been in have seen health and safety a priority rather than an afterthought. 

It is very seldom that we use the siren, when we do its only where needed, junctions etc. It can be alternated by beeping the horn.


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## Seaglass (Dec 1, 2009)

Achromatic said:


> This. These = fantastic. All of our engines and rigs have them. I've been in a 35' engine doing code 3, engine roaring, sirens and air horns blaring, and it's been barely noticeable, whilst talking on intercom to other people in the cab, voice activated. Even with the voice on, the sirens weren't particularly noticeable, still silenced by the noise canceling mic.



+2. I love them. They're a big hassle with my hair, but they're the best things ever, as far as I'm concerned. 

I have really sensitive hearing--if I'm working concerts, using power tools, or anything, I need to wear earplugs and noise-canceling earphones--so sirens can get to me. It's not that terrible if I'm riding in the back, but I'll sometimes pop earplugs in if I'm up front and we're going for a long ride on a congested road, where we need to use sirens practically the whole time. I can still hear everything just fine... it just isn't so loud.


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## paramedichopeful (Dec 1, 2009)

My dept. has very simple rules about siren use: must be used at night, while lights are on, or when running code 3.  Since I usually run the siren I set the touch-panel up to run a limited show and just use the floor mounted horn button when we roll through intersections. I really can't say enough about Braun. Their lighting and siren systems are outstanding. They are setup so that either the driver or the front passenger can control them. And if the touch-panel is having difficulties, an override turns the regular vehicle horn into a cycling siren show. Lights can be overriden and operated by the driver, but not the passenger. And we need to get some of those headsets. Sirens can make it hard to hear the radio or whoever is in the back.


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## rescue99 (Dec 1, 2009)

Scout said:


> IDIOT....... I'm actually speechless. Its dangerous so we do nothing....
> 
> 
> OP most EU regions I have been in have seen health and safety a priority rather than an afterthought.
> ...



I am not an idiot thank you very much. There are driving laws. Until those change, I'd really like to keep my license and just roll up the windows.


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## mycrofft (Dec 1, 2009)

*Used to be a real problem for firefighters though.*

The handlineman and hydrant man would ride the open tailboard fully exposed to lights, siren, wind, stuff the driver or crewchief threw out their windows. In ambulances, the old Cadillac units with mechancal sirens were headsplitters.

My tinnitis is partly from jet noise exposure on a flightline before we had radio earphones with noise suppression.


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