We at the Fire Apparatus Manufacturers’ Association (FAMA) stay intimately involved in the National Fire Protection (NFPA) standards process to make sure that new trends in NFPA 1901, Standard for Automotive Fire Apparatus, and NFPA 1906, Standard for Automotive Wildland Fire Apparatus, are both positive and practical.

One of the current discussions involves complaints from many quarters that the warning lights on fire apparatus are too intense during nighttime hours. The NFPA committee has taken up this topic, and FAMA member companies are stepping up.

THE PROBLEM

The current NFPA 1901 and NFPA 1906 requirements for apparatus warning lights were developed in an era prior to the advent of LED lighting. At that time, there was an inherent limit to the amount of light that a truck could put out. That limit was the size of the 12-volt alternator you could fit on a diesel truck engine. The standard was therefore only concerned with making sure the lights were bright enough, not whether they were ever too bright.

Today’s LED technology, however, has changed the discussion. The race to brighter and brighter LED lighting has flipped the industry on its head. A typical apparatus with LED lighting rolling off the line today will emit lighting levels easily 10 times the minimum level specified in NFPA standards.

TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING

During the day, warning light levels can never be too great because they are competing with the sun. Daylight constricts the observer’s pupil and very bright warning lights do not seem so bright compared with the surrounding environment. At night, however, the pupil dilates to let in as much of the sparse light as possible. When suddenly submitted to the intense light levels given off by modern LED warning lights, the result can be very distracting, even blinding, to people in the vicinity.

There are even those who argue that bright flashing lights at a roadside scene may be detracting rather than adding to scene safety. Drivers distracted by the intense light levels may be less likely to see the details of people working around the area. First responders may also be distracted by the lighting levels as they work on the scene.

FLASH PATTERNS

Lighting intensity is not the only concern. Flash patterns and speeds are also being scrutinized. There is subjective evidence to suggest that fast, frenetic, and random flash patterns are not the most optimum strategy, at least for nighttime warning and perhaps never while in the blocking mode. At a recent nighttime demonstration, I observed this firsthand. When exposed to an intense, fast, and random flash pattern, I felt tense and nervous. When the pattern was changed to a slower, dimmer, and predictable flash pattern, I felt my body and mind relax dramatically.

During code 3 operation, we want drivers to be alerted to emergency apparatus presence. The apparatus are coming quickl