Odd Request - Wireless Emergency Lights/Sirens

[Zach Smith]

I know this sounds very odd, but I was curious if anyone know whether there are wireless LED lights available that would allow our responders to alternate their lights between vehicles using battery power and suction cups without the need to plug into a 9V (this has reasons that I won't get into), and the next step which I know is a leap. But wireless sirens that are hardwired but use a wireless setup to actually easily be installed in various vehicles without having them ran into a switch box into the vehicle.

I've searched and turned up nothing, so if anyone can assist me, I'd greatly appreciate it. Thanks!

[Just Plain Ruff]

and so it will start.

It is a widely held opinions of many on this board that people should not be responding in their personal vehicles.

if you are looking for wireless stuff for your department's vehicles then by all means ask away but many will tell you their thoughts on people responding in their personal vehicles to scenes.

[EMT City Administrator]

and so it will start.

It is a widely held opinions of many on this board that people should not be responding in their personal vehicles.

if you are looking for wireless stuff for your department's vehicles then by all means ask away but many will tell you their thoughts on people responding in their personal vehicles to scenes.

Umm.. no. This site does allow for that. There are many different aspects to our profession and part of it is the rural EMS responder. If this member of the site wants information about the tools of his trade, than we will allow it.

The opinion of a few does not represent the widely held opinions of all.

[spenac]

Sorry never heard of a wireless system. Closest I have seen would be the type that plug into the 12 volt power port. From experience though I have found as I respond from my house on my part time job that when I used a light it saved me less than 30 seconds, and often almost created another call as people panic when they see lights and hear sirens. I no longer have a light as the service would not cover the expense for it and also in reading the policy book they did not protect me in the event I was involved in a wreck on the way to the station. Another side point is will your insurance cover you if you are responding L&S in your car?

If you do not find a wireless system though it would be a money maker for whoever designs it, especially if it can be done cheaply. Now I may have to start tinkering during my free time.

[Zach Smith]

We are on the side of town and usually during response the light isn't as much to clear traffic, but its really a safety mechanism to be used when clearing an intersection during light traffic (it is unspoken with the police and department that a red light can be treated as a stop sign if NO traffic is visible.) It draws attention to the vehicle in the event that human error is involved. We also have a stretch of road many take that is a long paved road where you often have to pass vehicles that try to "race" you and the lights seem to give them an inclination to slow.

No one is barreling down the road emergent in their POV's. This is for everyone's safety, and if responding directly to a scene without going to station (tends to be smarter if its quicker...hence FIRST RESPONDER) I like having lights flashing rather than my four ways. Four ways get people to notice, flashing lights can cause people to slow down a lot more aggressively. After all, you have to slow down to be nosy and see whats going on.

[Chief1C]

If you search around the net, someone sells a battery powered Kojak type light. Teardrop, I think its called. Has a magnet. You can get this liquid rubber that is supposed to recoat handles of tools. Coat the magnet with that. Avoid suction cups, unless you're just using the light to park along the road, as a measure of safety. That's what I do. But it's hardly worth removing the light. I don't disagree with proper use, because that's how it works here. May not work, or be compatible everywhere, but we do what we need to do. We have both responders and citizens that live 5 to 25 miles from the station. Them going to the scene, gets aid to them up to 30 minutes before an ambulance could.

Anyhoo. Magnets, not suction cups, b/c if you use it while moving, you'll never see the light again.

[Dustdevil]

Never seen any 9v lights or sirens before. 12v is the norm, with some occasional 6v and 24v items for special vehicle usage. Was this a typo, a misunderstanding, or are you talking about some kind of system that I am unaware of?

And there are pages and pages and pages of lights that can be quickly and easily transferred between vehicles just on the Gall's site alone. Suction cups, clamps, magnets, cigarette lighter plugs. Have you never seen any of these, or again, are you talking about something different?

As for sirens, I'm afraid you're out of luck, although they can be wired up with quick disconnects, enabling them to be easily moved from vehicle to vehicle too, so long as each vehicle has the basic wiring in place.

I'm curious as to what circumstances exist that would necessitate sharing equipment between multiple vehicles often enough to make this an issue. Can't say I've ever seen this dilemma before.

[Richard B the EMT]

Lights, and sometimes the smaller lightbars, are either magnet or rain gutter clamp mounted on vehicles, for temporary usage only. Some don't recommend they be used on a moving vehicle, as they could blow off at speeds over 25 MPH. If it is a marked department vehicle, I'd go permanent mounted.

As for "portable" sirens, the nearest I have heard of (pun unintended) are the hand held electronic megaphone with built in siren sound.

Even those cheap "electronic sirens" with separate "ambulance, fire engine, and police siren sounds" (manufactured by WOLO, and available from the Whitney Automotive products company), which just seem to duplicate those annoying multiple sound car alarms, are vehicle mounted.

Also, any siren worth it's usage needs more power than can be generated by the WOLO stuff, which is only 20 to 30 watts of power, if that much, versus sirens made by Federal, or any of their competitors (see the Galls catalog for names), which usually START at 100 watts. Seen some that run 300 watts, don't recall the particulars.

As for self contained battery powered "emergency" lights, they are usually cheaply made, and don't have enough power to be visible. Forget anything that only uses suction cup mounting, as the draft from any passing vehicle will pull it off the vehicle it is mounted on. I could probably pucker up and blow it off a car!

FYI, NYS law asks for any emergency light to be visible under most conditions, even daylight, at a minimum acceptable distance of 500 feet. Sirens are to be audible (as tested from a stopped vehicle) at the same range.

Personal experience: In a demonstration, I was in the back seat of a Toyota, with the defrosters and wipers on, a Lead Zeppelin tape playing, traveling at 40 MPH. We were being chased by my own ambulance. I didn't hear the siren from the ambulance, on any setting, until the ambulance was less than 2 car lengths away from the Toyota, which was the point the instructors were making.

[Chief1C]

As for sirens, I'm afraid you're out of luck, although they can be wired up with quick disconnects, enabling them to be easily moved from vehicle to vehicle too, so long as each vehicle has the basic wiring in place.

Ever been in a Western Auto store? The one here, back in the day, sold all sorts of bike accessories. Including.. 9V sirens.

[Just Plain Ruff]

admin, never tried to discourage him from looking for this stuff or asking us here.

But... I spent about an hour last night on the net, searching for these types of lights and was unable to find them.

If he does find them, I'd encourage him to post where he got them because others might want a set too.