Way back, the only type of light you would have seen on an emergency vehicle would have been a halogen rotator type of light such as a strobe. The strobe light is highly effective and is still popular today, but often it is found incorporated into Light bars for maximum effect. The advances in production techniques mean that many of the Light bars you will find today are of the LED light variety. There are still halogen Light bars but these are falling out of popularity because of the cost of powering them. LED lights are much more energy efficient and will reduce battery power drain substantially. Any lightbar gives a vehicle an advantage, many municipal, utility and construction vehicles will have some kind of light bar. The Light bars are very good at warning and informing those around of the vehicles presence and sometimes it's intention such as the direction it's moving. The light bar is here to stay and there are several reasons for this, number one being there versatility. Light bars come in many different sizes, colors and flash patterns and they can be used in conjunction with a siren and PA system for maximum impact and effect. With the new generation LED lights the Light bars can be made smaller yet have the same light output as the larger units. A full width lightbar is no longer necessary to give the vehicle maximum visibility as the smaller more low profile units can pack the same punch. The flash patterns on Light bars can be altered at the flick of a switch and that is essential for emergency responders. You can have the most effective lights on a vehicle but if they are difficult to operate they are rendered virtually useless. Having said that the most powerful lights can be ineffective without the audible warning of a siren, both together however are a very powerful tool to move traffic. Interestingly there is no one standard type of Light bars as each emergency vehicle has different needs from its lighting. A unit that has take down lights and traffic advisor lights wouldn't be appropriate for an ambulance. Each state will also have different laws, rules and regulations with regard to the emergency services vehicle lighting. The use of flashing lights and sirens is also governed at state level, which is another reason why emergency vehicle lighting can't be fitted as standard. Even the color of lights will be different for different services so its essential to check out what your state expects of its emergency vehicles with regard to lighting. There has been some research into emergency vehicle lighting particularly that used at nighttime incident/accident scenes. A vast array of different colored and varying flash patterned Light bars can distract drivers so much they actually drift towards the accident rather than navigate away from it. Headlights on full beam can be problematic at accident scenes and the glare can make drivers less likely to concentrate on their driving. The balance of Light bars on vehicles needs to be just right to be most effective.
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