Very Interesting find today - SWAT truck flush mount by Federal Signal - "Escape"

JPstealth

Member
Nov 11, 2018
58
North jersey
Now I was not sure whether to put this in vintage or not but since production stopped on this bar and they basically are impossible to find, I thought maybe this would garnish the proper member's insight. But I also understand it is LED and probably only like 10-15 years old

So I just picked this flush mount bar up - 80'' not too unusual right? I mean aside from it coming off a swat truck instead of an ambulance, you would think whatever...

BUT it is a Federal Signal "Escape" flush mount lighting system. I looked and looked and basically found very little to no information anywhere on it other than there was a very limited production run.

This one is the "EMS" - 8002 version which basically means 80" long and has federal signal's quadraflare LED's inside, 5 total (2 blue, 2 red with 1 amber in the center) and 4 scene lights.

Anyone have any insight on this thing?? Never seen or heard of it but for the amount the guy wanted, I could not say no since basically it cost me more in gas than the bar and it was only 20mins away.

Here are the photos....
 

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JohnMarcson

Administrator
May 7, 2010
10,971
Northwest Ohio
It is cool to see one of these survive to a collectable status. These were federal's answer to the advantedge plus/4500 and edge plus line. They were decent bars, a local heavy rescue uses them. Depending on options they are pretty much an equivalent product. The issue with these wasn't the bars but more that they were used when Federal Signal lights were used exclusively on a fire/rescue/EMS build. That often meant other portions of the system were inferior for the application. For example the local truck has a bunch of fireray remote strobes instead of 9x7 lights at the corners and they aren't good. The EMS escape bars look fine though.

The literature I have (and the bar you have) is near the end of the run for these bars when LEDs were offered. They were built with just halogen rotators, flashers and strobes earlier. They pretty much offered the standard triple K models that the advantedge plus and 4500 came in.

escape1.JPG
escape2.JPG
 

JohnMarcson

Administrator
May 7, 2010
10,971
Northwest Ohio
In regards to the problematic lights that came with these bars here are some examples of what would get spec'ed with the EMS escape bar. The EMS escape bar was always the strong point. Using tiny fireray strobes on a random power supply instead of the standard 9x7 lights really hurt systems that were build around Federal Signal for EMS and Rescue trucks. I almost wonder if Federal had a better perimeter light line earlier if this bar would have done better.



More on the later versions (pdf at bottom)
escapecat01.JPGescapecat1.JPG
escapecat2.JPGescape cat3.JPG

Some of the stuff used along side the escape...
thisproblem.JPG
thisproblem 2.JPG
 

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JPstealth

Member
Nov 11, 2018
58
North jersey
In regards to the problematic lights that came with these bars here are some examples of what would get spec'ed with the EMS escape bar. The EMS escape bar was always the strong point. Using tiny fireray strobes on a random power supply instead of the standard 9x7 lights really hurt systems that were build around Federal Signal for EMS and Rescue trucks. I almost wonder if Federal had a better perimeter light line earlier if this bar would have done better.



More on the later versions (pdf at bottom)
View attachment 240027View attachment 240028
View attachment 240026View attachment 240025

Some of the stuff used along side the escape...
View attachment 240022
View attachment 240021
Very cool! Thank you! I knew someone here would have some information about this light system.

If I am understanding you correctly, to sum up, it was not a problematic light, but a FS build was not very popular on box vehicles and thus this EMS bar was not used very often. I am glad I snatched this up then due to it scarcity. Perhaps not most collectable light, simply due to the fact that many collectors may not even know it exists. Furthermore, I feel as though larger flush mount bars are generally just passed up on, which I am guilty of myself.

Very neat to have a little information about it, I personally, think it's pretty cool, even if only for the short production run. The only bummer is lack of a flasher but I suppose, I can become creative in that department lolol

I will see if I can get a video together shortly.
 
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JohnMarcson

Administrator
May 7, 2010
10,971
Northwest Ohio
Very cool! Thank you! I knew someone here would have some information about this light system.

If I am understanding you correctly, to sum up, it was not a problematic light, but a FS build was not very popular on box vehicles and thus this EMS bar was not used very often. I am glad I snatched this up then due to it scarcity. Perhaps not most collectable light, simply due to the fact that many collectors may not even know it exists. Furthermore, I feel as though larger flush mount bars are generally just passed up on, which I am guilty of myself.

Very neat to have a little information about it, I personally, think it's pretty cool, even if only for the short production run. The only bummer is lack of a flasher but I suppose, I can become creative in that department lolol

I will see if I can get a video together shortly.
Yeah, I think these suffered because Whelen had the market locked down for ambulances so when these showed up it usually meant someone (E-one, or a buyer) specified all Federal lights on the truck and that made the system in general lacking, not so much these bars. I have a federal signal LED flasher designed for these bars if you want one, I can check what I paid for it.
 

JPstealth

Member
Nov 11, 2018
58
North jersey
Yeah, I think these suffered because Whelen had the market locked down for ambulances so when these showed up it usually meant someone (E-one, or a buyer) specified all Federal lights on the truck and that made the system in general lacking, not so much these bars. I have a federal signal LED flasher designed for these bars if you want one, I can check what I paid for it.
Yes, I would certainly be interested. Please PM me when you have an idea of what you would like for it. Thanks!
 

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