Making the best of a bad situation - What would you do?

[acala91]

So I'm being issued a new truck at work. It's a type 1 ambulance with a referb Wheeled Coach box on a 2015 Chevy Silverado 3500 chassis. The new style Chevy is great, love the truck but the lighting is a hot mess and that's where I need help. Let me preface this with none of the equipment can be changed and nothing can be added or removed. Unfortunately. Also, I had no say in any of the equipment, if I did I would not be making this thread. 

Now, the truck has the following lighting and everything is Whelen. All of the lenses are clear.

On the front of the box is five LED 900s set up as R / RW / W / RW / R. 

The grill lights are 500 series 5mm. Intersection is a LINZ6.

The sides of the box are two 900s solid red. 

The rear has five 900s. The top corners are solid red with a solid amber in between. Then there are two lower level 900s on either side of the rear doors that are split red and white. Yes, there are two R/W 900s to the rear. I know. 

Now to make matters worse, all of the 900s are set to seizure inducing single flash 300. The grill and intersection lights are on signal alert. 

Now my question to you guys is, how can I make this crap slightly less crappy? The truck looks like a flickering, pink blob as is and the flash patterns are so fast they are actually disorienting. 

I'm open to suggestions. 

 

[shues]

As I read this, you're not allowed to, add, remove, or change the existing lightheads.  Are you allowed to install a LED flasher of some sort?

 

[firemedic10584]

If none of them are on a flasher, can you just go one by one and change them all to signal alert? Granted they won't be sync'd but I think it'll look better than the seizure patterns they're on now. 

 

[acala91]

As I read this, you're not allowed to, add, remove, or change the existing lightheads.  Are you allowed to install a LED flasher of some sort?

I could change the location of and change the patterns of what's there. I'm not able to add or remove anything and unfortunately, adding a flasher is not possible. 

If none of them are on a flasher, can you just go one by one and change them all to signal alert? Granted they won't be sync'd but I think it'll look better than the seizure patterns they're on now.

I agree. None of them are on a flasher so I'd have to change them one by one but anything is better than what they're set to now.  

 

[shues]

I would start with R/W 900's in the front and in the rear.  Swap the red halves out of the R/W 900s in the front for the white halves from the R/W 900s in the rear.  You'd then have two completely white 900s in the front and a total of four completely red 900s in the rear.

 

[ERM]

If they are indeed the new 900s, then I also agree to swapping the lighthead parts to making the lightheads solid colors.  Just make sure that after setting the patterns, you set the phases to KKK standards.

 

[Sparky_911]

I'll second what shues said about the R/W head swaps and I would adhere to the KKK standards, but sync the rear lowers with the center amber if possbile.  Assuming the whole she-bang is synced of course. 

Pattern wise I would just do single flash 60 or 90 on the sides and rear of the box but Signalert on the cab and box front lights.  It seems to catch the eye a bit more than single flash and that is what traffic will see first. 

In my Freedom I started out using Signalert and after a while I thought maybe Action flash would work better but it really didn't, so I changed it back and have noticed traffic clearing a lot further out.  But if you're looking for something different you could try Action Flash.

 

[pdk9]

I'd swap the 2 R/W in the rear with the 2 R in the front, so that the front is RW/RW/W/RW/RW (red on top & clear on bottom) & the rear has all solid Amber and solid red.  Set the front of the box so that the solid white lighthead single flashes fast, while the remaining 4 lightheads (comet flash) alternate all red and all clear.  Is this ideal?  Definitely not (I'd much rather have 2 solid clear 900s up front and all the remaining front and side as solid red 900s), BUT give what you've got to work with, I think it's decent.

Then in the back you can do the typical ambulance flash pattern (top outer corners alternating with the center and 2 lower 900s). I like comet flash for the rear 5 lightheads (some of our older rescues have that pattern and it's much more effective than the single flash to the rear IMO).  Id sync the top outer corners to flash simultaneously with the 4 900s on the sides of the box

For the intersection and grill lights, I'd set them to all flash on comet flash together.

 

[acala91]

I would start with R/W 900's in the front and in the rear.  Swap the red halves out of the R/W 900s in the front for the white halves from the R/W 900s in the rear.  You'd then have two completely white 900s in the front and a total of four completely red 900s in the rear.

I didn't know you could swap the individual halves of the 900s, learn something new every day. That is a good suggestion but by doing that, that would put a total of three solid white 900s on the front of the box which I feel would be way too much white. 

If they are indeed the new 900s, then I also agree to swapping the lighthead parts to making the lightheads solid colors.  Just make sure that after setting the patterns, you set the phases to KKK standards.

View attachment 148367

I wish this were an option. There is no flasher on the truck and the 900s do not have the ability to sync. It is really aggravating going to this truck because my old one is synced to KKK spec. This is my current truck. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHyXj7xKXV0

I'd swap the 2 R/W in the rear with the 2 R in the front, so that the front is RW/RW/W/RW/RW (red on top & clear on bottom) & the rear has all solid Amber and solid red.  Set the front of the box so that the solid white lighthead single flashes fast, while the remaining 4 lightheads (comet flash) alternate all red and all clear.  Is this ideal?  Definitely not (I'd much rather have 2 solid clear 900s up front and all the remaining front and side as solid red 900s), BUT give what you've got to work with, I think it's decent.

Then in the back you can do the typical ambulance flash pattern (top outer corners alternating with the center and 2 lower 900s). I like comet flash for the rear 5 lightheads (some of our older rescues have that pattern and it's much more effective than the single flash to the rear IMO).  Id sync the top outer corners to flash simultaneously with the 4 900s on the sides of the box

For the intersection and grill lights, I'd set them to all flash on comet flash together.

I like this idea, I may swap the solid front reds for the splits on the rear. The only thing is I won't be able to sync them. There is no flasher and I can't add one and the 900s don't sync. Everything is destined to be split failed. I was thinking of swapping the split on the rear with the solid red from the side of the box closest to the cab. It's not ideal but I think that might be the best way from having too much white to the front and getting it out from the rear. 

 

[acala91]

Here is a video of another one of our trucks that has the same warning package. 

 

[ERM]

This is true, the lightheads don't have a sync wire.  I think that is really stupid on Whelen's part.  Why can't you install an external flasher?  Is it because the higherups say no or is there another reason?

There is a steady burn pattern and you can get them all to be sync'd that way, BUT...?  With all this split flashing, could you not argue the fact that the rig is no longer KKK compliant with the flash patterns?

 

[nerdly_dood]

One thing you could do, to avoid having too much white all in front, is swap the rear R/W 900's with the side-facing ones at the front of the box. That way you get kind of an intersection lighting effect if you can sync them appropriately.

If all else fails and the white in back has to stay where it is, maybe you could put the white in the rear on steady burn on a separate switch or hook it up with the rear scene lighting. It wouldn't put light where you need it but at least that would be better than it is now.

 

[unityrv26]

KEEP IT SIMPLE!  If the flashes are too fast they DO just look like a blob of light.  This is what I miss about our older simpler halogen flashers and rotators.  Simple flashing back and forth is just as eye catching and good in LED.

 

[NERT11]

Our local Ambulances are generally set to either a double or triple flash, all red, then all white throughout the entire vehicle. The non-sync lights would serve better to the rear, where a sync'd all red/all white contrast would be very effective to the front

 

[acala91]

This is true, the lightheads don't have a sync wire.  I think that is really stupid on Whelen's part.  Why can't you install an external flasher?  Is it because the higherups say no or is there another reason?

There is a steady burn pattern and you can get them all to be sync'd that way, BUT...?  With all this split flashing, could you not argue the fact that the rig is no longer KKK compliant with the flash patterns?

Higher ups say no. You really aren't supposed to mess with the truck at all but I'd rather not get nailed on the side of the interstate because of the crap-tastic lighting. I've brought up KKK and NFPA regulations before when they wouldn't replace a burned out intersection light on one of the trucks and it's just not worth the hassle. It won't go anywhere. 

One thing you could do, to avoid having too much white all in front, is swap the rear R/W 900's with the side-facing ones at the front of the box. That way you get kind of an intersection lighting effect if you can sync them appropriately.

If all else fails and the white in back has to stay where it is, maybe you could put the white in the rear on steady burn on a separate switch or hook it up with the rear scene lighting. It wouldn't put light where you need it but at least that would be better than it is now.

I was considering one of two things. One being swap the rear R/W for the side facing one like you said or leaving them where they are but putting the white halves in low power mode. The truck isn't in service yet so I have time to decide. 

 

[tuckerm]

Higher ups say no. You really aren't supposed to mess with the truck at all

Then don't mess with it. If you are not supposed to, then leave it be. Not your problem. 

 

[pdk9]

If you don't mind my asking, how often do you guys typically do your interfacility transports code 3?

The private ambo companies in south Florida mostly have halogen perimeter lightheads (maybe some lin3's in the grill), but the employees don't care b/c they hardly ever run code 3, so if that's the case, I'd say you're ahead of the game with your current setup and follow tuckerm's advice of don't mess with it/not your problem...It sounds like your bosses aren't gonna "see the light" so why waste your time (especially b/c I don't even think the current flash pattern setup is KKK compliant by having all those lightheads flickering without any sync).  I would say the best thing to do is see if you can be on some buying committee (if there is one) for future trucks and get a better sync and maybe some rear chevrons.  And, if that doesn't work, just sell them on the fact that solid red lightheads are less expensive than split R/C (which will likely grab their attention)

 

[acala91]

If you don't mind my asking, how often do you guys typically do your interfacility transports code 3?

The private ambo companies in south Florida mostly have halogen perimeter lightheads (maybe some lin3's in the grill), but the employees don't care b/c they hardly ever run code 3, so if that's the case, I'd say you're ahead of the game with your current setup and follow tuckerm's advice of don't mess with it/not your problem...It sounds like your bosses aren't gonna "see the light" so why waste your time (especially b/c I don't even think the current flash pattern setup is KKK compliant by having all those lightheads flickering without any sync).  I would say the best thing to do is see if you can be on some buying committee (if there is one) for future trucks and get a better sync and maybe some rear chevrons.  And, if that doesn't work, just sell them on the fact that solid red lightheads are less expensive than split R/C (which will likely grab their attention)

We do emergency transports quite frequently actually. Lots of ER to cath labs, CVAs to an interventional stroke centers, pregnancy complications, ect... In addition to routine interfacility transports, we do all the critical care transports as well. We also do prehospital medical calls out of nursing and assisted living facilities which there are a lot of in my area. Those patients will get transported emergency pretty often as well. We provide mutual aid for the agency with the 911 transport contract and of course stop at MVCs that we happen upon. While we aren't responding to every call code 3, we do use the lights quite often. Plenty of times in the past I have shut a road or lane down with my truck. 

The reason I would even go through the effort of altering the lighting is because this truck will be issued to myself and my partner only and I'll be working in it 40+ hours a week. The way the lighting currently is, besides being blinding to the rear is literally disorienting because the flash patterns are so fast. Not only is it ineffective warning, it's dangerous if we are stopped on the side of the road for some reason.