White LEDs have a slight blue tint since they're actually blue LEDs with a coating of yellow phosphorus - different cameras pick that up in different ways.Gated Wye said:Hatzolah now can use blue to the front? Guess they got a special "blessing" from the mayor?
JohnMarcson said:The split flash fail is strong with this one....
lafd55 said:no reason to always having the siren blaring
LLS said:Its actually clear to the front, the camera seems to throw the color towards blue.
LLS said:Its actually clear to the front, the camera seems to throw the color towards blue.
JohnMarcson said:The split flash fail is strong with this one....
Gated Wye said:So you're going to tell me those grille lights and light bar are clear? i'll give it to you that the headlight's flashing are clear, but the rest... absolutely not.
It's a NYC thing, not a Hatzolah thing.nerdly_dood said:Also, I don't see any reason at all to use manual on a siren, ever.
dovy6 said:It's a NYC thing, not a Hatzolah thing.
Many / most EVs responding in NYC traffic use manual. I dont think FDNY does, but FDNY EMS definitely does (as you can see in the video going opposite the H bus,) NYPD sure does, as well.
FollowingNFront said:also think its dangerous blaring a siren coming up to a parent pushing a baby stroller because the sirens are pretty much at level with the baby's ears and they are getting 200W in their ears with the potential of causing some real damage... You can come across this when turning a corner where a parent is waiting to cross with their child, or if you are coming up to a corner where they are halfway across the intersection and you literally blast them with it... So I am careful where I blare my siren, and I generally use the manual button most of the time... Lets face it, we're not going 60mph through the city streets with an ambulance, so we don't have to let people know we're coming from a mile away.
nerdly_dood said:White LEDs have a slight blue tint since they're actually blue LEDs with a coating of yellow phosphorus - different cameras pick that up in different ways.
Also, I don't see any reason at all to use manual on a siren, ever.
Rofocowboy84 said:Those are definitely blue, not white.
And the reason is because it's fun...duh...plus, if you know what you're doing, it can actually be more effective than just putting it on wail or yelp and letting it ride...
nerdly_dood said:Also, I don't see any reason at all to use manual on a siren, ever.
lotsofbars said:How many times do I have to say "they're white, not blue, I've seen them in person" before people stop saying that they're blue?!
FollowingNFront said:Again, how to use the siren is subjective. I work in manhattan and have never hit a ped, etc. Using the manual ..... As you said yourself, you were going with Lights and sirens and someone walked out in front of your bus, so the siren didnt make a difference. There are idiots everywhere, just drive with due regard and you will be good. There is no need to blast your siren at 3am down a city street where you are the only vehicle on the street waking everybody up. Start hitting it a couple hundred feet from the intersection, slow down (stop) and clear the intersection while whooping the siren, and when you cross, stop hitting it. Again, traffic permitting.
CHIEFOPS said:The NYS VTL mandates the siren for all authorized emergency vehicles except police vehicles whenever in emergency operation. You're needlessly exposing yourself to liability by using your emergency warning lights without a siren.
FollowingNFront said:Me and the majority of all other EMTs and Paramedics in NYC. I even see fire trucks do it.
I use the siren. I just generally don't keep it blaring for every second that I'm en route to a job (of course like I said before there are exceptions like traffic and visibility and the type of job it is). Whooping it is still using the siren.
There are exceptions to the V&T about using the siren though. For instance, each call has a priority (1-7).... 1-6 is lights and sirens. 1 being the highest priority and it gets progressively lower as you get to 6 (counter-intuitive I know). 7 is the lowest priority and you are not even supposed to use lights and sirens to get there and you are supposed to obey all traffic laws. You're still responding to an emergency, but you're not using lights or sirens.
If a call comes over and in the text it states that a person stubbed their toe 2 days ago and now wants to get it checked out and its a priority 6, I'm going to get there a little slower than a cardiac arrest which is a priority 1. So for the stubbed toe, I'm still going to use lights and sirens, but I'm not going to go 45-50mph down Park Avenue like I would for a cardiac arrest. I'll probably go 30mph which is the speed limit. And if I'm going the speed limit and there are nothing but green lights all down the avenue, why blare the siren continuously for the .5 miles its going to take me to get to the person? In that situation, whooping the siren every few seconds to let people around you know you're there is just as effective and less obnoxious IMO.
C420sailor said:All of our rigs have blue to the rear per the new NYS law. A few have a blue or two to the front (illegally, of course). A neighboring VAC has a green or two on some of their emergency vehicles. It's a volunteer pride thing.
But a VAC having blue to the front? LAME.
That being said, I still think these are white lights. If they're blue, they're a really sh!tty, weak blue. And I don't think HVAC skimps on equipment...
CHIEFOPS said:The only exception in the VTL with respect to sirens during emergency operation is for police vehicles, in NYS, 'call segments' or 'priorities' don't exempt you from the VTL. Your example of a stubbed toe is not an emergency so neither lights or siren are legally justified.
FollowingNFront said:It seems that you don't know how the FDNY 911 system works...
Priorities are the ONLY thing that dictate whether we use lights and sirens or not... Whether you think a stubbed toe is an emergency or not (I think its bullshit too) does not change the fact that if the call taker/dispatcher classifies it as a priority 6 and it comes on my screen as a 6, and I DON'T use lights and sirens I will get an NOI and disciplinary action if an FDNY conditions boss catches me not "responding"....
Same goes for a priority 7.... EDP's are ALWAYS a priority 7 for EMS... You would say an EDP is an emergency right? Well, I'm not supposed to go lights and/or sirens to an EDP and I'm supposed to obey all traffic laws on the way there. No matter what the response is like, a 911 ambulance in NYC ONLY responds to "emergencies".
People throw the V&T around like its scripture but its not the end-all-be-all... Your profile says youre in NYC... Next time you see one of those FDNY Ford Excursions or GMC Silverados with the star of life on them (EMS conditions boss) ask them how the 911 system works for EMS.
I respond to a lot of calls that are bullshit that come over as priority 4's and lower.... Unfortunately you or I are not the judges of said emergencies and do not dictate the response. The Fire Dept. does.