Not all fire trucks need a pump. Not all trucks need a ladder.
But, one thing every fire apparatus needs is a set of headlights. In the United States, virtually every area of the fire apparatus has been enhanced, improved, and given significant funding by spec committees to improve the safety of the crews.
In an era of “Million-Dollar Fire Apparatus” equipped with the latest technology from many Fire Apparatus Manufacturers’ Association (FAMA) member companies, it is surprising that these purpose-built ultra-high-end tools are still sometimes fitted with headlights whose design has not changed significantly since the 1960s.
Headlight Platforms
When it comes to headlights for fire apparatus, there are two primary platforms apparatus manufacturers use: a molded headlight like you’d see on most passenger vehicles (less common) and a set of “sealed-beam” headlights, typically found in sets of four in the firefighting industry. The automotive-style molded headlight is often found on modern commercial cab chassis, and because of its mass production design focus, this design is less configurable by the apparatus specifying committee. The sealed-beam variety, however, is a platform with a seemingly never-ending list of configuration options. These options include halogen, HID, and LED source types with features like integrated halo park lamps, lens heaters, and pressure-equalizing vent valves.
When I ask firefighters, “If you could wave a magic wand, what would you change about the lighting on your rig?” I consistently hear, “THE HEADLIGHTS!” It surprises me every time, especially with the frequency with which I see apparatus committees specifying apparatus with $40,000 of scene lights and $200 of 1950s glass and halogen archaic headlights. Why? Often, it appears to boil down to cost. A set of four properly designed and certified LED headlights can cost anywhere from $800 to $1,500 per set. Are they worth it? That depends on what’s important to you. An LED headlight should never burn out, should produce significantly more light than a halogen, and should allow for operation in any weather for the life of the apparatus.
Headlight FAQs
As technologies continue to emerge, fire departments often look for ways to upgrade their fleets. A few common questions/comments fire apparatus manufacturers hear related to headlights follow.
“If I need to see while I am pulling up to a scene, I’ll just turn the brow lights on.”
Despite how tempting this may be, driving with auxiliary scene lighting switched to “on” above the level of the apparatus’ headlights is illegal in most states. In most situations, as vehicles approach a motorist traveling in the opposite direction, the headlights serve as an early indicator of their presence. Even around bends and winds in the road, other vehicles’ headlights serve to let you know, “Hey, we’re coming,” and allow you to prepare to meet them (and if your high beams are on, to switch them back to low-beam mode). When a fire truck is driving with its forward-facing scene lights on, the overwhelming power of those fixtures easily drowns out the early indication of the approach of that passing motorist. In turn, when the vehicles finally meet, the apparatus im