Rear facing white lights in PA?

[ainman]

Legal or illegal?

[FWDbuff]

illegal.

Red and only very recently did they allow for one amber light.

[FireMedic049]

Legal or illegal?

If you are talking about using white as a rear facing visual warning device, then most definitely illegal.

If you are talking about using white as a rear facing scene lighting, then legal.

[FireMedic049]

illegal.

Red and only very recently did they allow for one amber light.

I'm pretty sure that the law allows for 2 amber warning lights to the rear. There's a lot of Fire & EMS apparatus in my area with more than 1 amber warning light to the rear.

[FIREMECH1]

illegal.

Red and only very recently did they allow for one amber light.

Wasn't it a few years ago that it was mandatory to have one amber to the rear??? I believe it is optional now. Our last few rigs now have red and blue again, no amber at the rear.

FM1

[firepundit]

Wasn't it a few years ago that it was mandatory to have one amber to the rear??? I believe it is optional now. Our last few rigs now have red and blue again, no amber at the rear.

FM1

NFPA 1901 (1902, 1903, 1904 ad nauseum) started requiring one rear amber in Upper Zone C when they did the major rewrite in the early 1990's. It disappeared since and I can't for the life of me remember when. Pretty sure it was still there when they re-consolidated the pamphlets.

But we must remember, NFPA is not mandatory, merely a consensus of minimum standards.

What happened is that NFPA tread on a lot of state and local standards when they decided to include colors and had to beat a retreat. The elected cronies beat out the self appointed cronies.

[FWDbuff]

I'm pretty sure that the law allows for 2 amber warning lights to the rear. There's a lot of Fire & EMS apparatus in my area with more than 1 amber warning light to the rear.

I am pretty sure that if you check the Pa. MVC you will find that it only allows one amber warning device on the rear. Just becase you have apparatus that has more than one does not mean it is legal. How many blue light degenerates in your area actually follow the Pa. MVC which only allows one blue 360 degree rotating light (and nothing else) on their personal vehicles???

[ATFDFF]

I am pretty sure that if you check the Pa. MVC you will find that it only allows one amber warning device on the rear. Just becase you have apparatus that has more than one does not mean it is legal. How many blue light degenerates in your area actually follow the Pa. MVC which only allows one blue 360 degree rotating light (and nothing else) on their personal vehicles???

No mention of a specific number, only that each apparatus must have at least one red light...and may have one OR MORE amber.

Chapter 45, Subchapter D:


(b.1) Mounted lights and additional equipment.--
(1) Police, sheriff and fire vehicles may be equipped
with a mounted rack containing one or more emergency warning
lights or side mounted floodlights or alley lights or all
such lights in conformance with department regulations.
(2) Additional visual or audible warning signal
equipment, including, but not limited to, flashing headlamp
system, flashing or revolving white or clear lights, steady
burning lights, traffic-control emergency directional light
assembly, amber lights and intersection lights, may be
utilized on emergency vehicles in accordance with regulations
promulgated by the department


Chapter 45, Subchapter D (continued):

(b) Flashing or revolving yellow lights.--Vehicles
authorized pursuant to the provisions of sections 6106 (relating
to designation of emergency vehicles by Pennsylvania State
Police) and 6107 (relating to designation of authorized vehicles
by department), tow trucks and vehicles used for snow removal
may be equipped with one or more flashing or revolving yellow
lights. The manner in which the light or lights shall be
displayed and the intensity shall be determined by regulation of
the department

[TFD-PIPEMAN]

If I remember correctly, I beleive the Amber rear warning light came in to play when many of the lighting packages where halogen and the Lighting manufacturers needed them to meet the required light output for the Upper Zone C section, per NFPA 1901. Since then with all the LED pacakages its now just perference of the Department's specifications.

[firepundit]

If I remember correctly, I beleive the Amber rear warning light came in to play when many of the lighting packages where halogen and the Lighting manufacturers needed them to meet the required light output for the Upper Zone C section, per NFPA 1901. Since then with all the LED pacakages its now just perference of the Department's specifications.

Actually the amber light was an NFPA spec item that started when they totally revamped the lighting section. It has since been removed because of state regulations that the requirement interfered with.

[BoxAlarm187]

Actually the amber light was an NFPA spec item that started when they totally revamped the lighting section. It has since been removed because of state regulations that the requirement interfered with.

I've looked through my 1991 edition of 1901, and can't find a requirement for amber. All of the references are based on the amount of light output required to the rear, which before the popularity of LED's, was much easier to reach with a single amber light than even multiple red lights.

[firepundit]

I've looked through my 1991 edition of 1901, and can't find a requirement for amber. All of the references are based on the amount of light output required to the rear, which before the popularity of LED's, was much easier to reach with a single amber light than even multiple red lights.

Then it was the next version. It was in the colors by zone chart as well as the wording.

[happyvalleyff]

I know as far as EMS goes in PA you are only allowed one forward facing white light and rearward facing amber lights at most.

[FIREMECH1]

I've got the print material that shows the NFPA adoption of the single amber to the rear. Found it a couple days ago. Seems like they had removed it a year or so after we got ones with the amber. The next batch we got didn't have amber, but blue instead. Fed Sig also had a pamphlet out on the new light zoning.

[TFD-PIPEMAN]

What verison of 1901 are you finding the AMBER requirement for the Zone "C" Upper. I have been unable to find it, other than when Amber was used to meet the light output required for Zone "C" upper lights.

[bebling10]

my 95 rescue have 2 ambers also

[FireMedic049]

I know as far as EMS goes in PA you are only allowed one forward facing white light and rearward facing amber lights at most.

You are incorrect.

The vehicle code allows for more than one forward facing white light, however I believe they must be part of a lightbar rather than stand alone light heads. For example, the 2 white intersection sweep lights in Code 3's MX7000 light bar is OK, but 2 Whelen Series 900 white lightheads would not be OK.

The vehicle code also allows for more than one rear facing amber light.