Emergency vehicles can include police vehicles, fire apparatus, snow removal trucks, or just about a vehicle dedicated to public safety. Often these vehicles start as standard cars and trucks that are repurposed and installing police lights, or another warning lighting is required to complete the conversion.
Lighting Types
Modern emergency lighting systems and police lights are often LED (light-emitting diodes) light bars or strobe lights that mount on the roof or other areas of the vehicle. The lights can be set up to flash in many different patterns and are available in various colors to match the needs of the service using them.
From one location to another, police lights can vary in color. Some states use blue lights, while others use a combination of red and blue, so the lights must be the right color for the area the vehicle will be used in. If a department is ordering new police vehicles and the police lights are the wrong color, changing the lenses on multiple light bars can be costly, but it is possible if necessary.
Installing New Lights
When a police department is updating their fleet of vehicles, they will order them from the factory and then have an emergency lighting company install the radios, lighting, and other electronics that they need in the cars. If the police lights on their old cars are in good shape, they can move them to the new vehicles to save some money.
The same is true of other emergency services like fire and EMS providers. Often police lights and emergency lighting for other emergency vehicles will have special sidelights, front spotlights, or additional lights in the bar, making them more effective but adding to that cost. Installing these extra features requires the lighting service to add a control box that allows the lights to be activated when needed but does not require them all to be on simultaneously.
The working can be complex, but the lighting installer is often an automotive electrician by trade, making the job more manageable for them and resulting in a professional and safe installation.
Purchasing Police Lights
When replacing police lights or buying new emergency light bars for your vehicles, the size of the bar is crucial. Still, most lighting manufacturers offer their light bars in multiple sizes. Check with the manufacturer you are buying your lights through, and they can often recommend a lightbar size based on the vehicle you are installing it on.
If you are not sure what to buy, the emergency lighting installer can help you choose lights that will meet your needs. Many times the emergency lighting company will order the lights for you and then install them when they arrive. Once the installer has an idea of what you want for lighting, they can order the same police lights or emergency lighting for all the vehicles you need them on and ensure they all work the same way.
If you have any questions about police lights, be sure to contact a local supplier.