Streamlight Celebrates 50 Years of Lighting Innovation

Streamlight, Inc., a leading provider of high-performance lighting for first responders and a wide variety of other professional and consumer users, turns 50 years old this year. In recognition, we look back on how an innovative lighting product first developed for the NASA space program led to the development of a wide array of professional-grade lighting products that have been benefitting first responders and firefighters ever since.

Streamlight’s Early Development

In the early 1970’s, NASA engaged a group of engineers from Fairfield, NJ to develop a solar simulator for the space program that simulated sunlight outside the filtering of the atmosphere.

This research was later used to design and develop a handheld unit that produced one million candlepower, which was then marketed to the military and law enforcement market sectors.

A private investor from the Philadelphia area, Harry French, moved this fledgling company to King of Prussia, Pennsylvania and, in 1973, created the company that today is known as Streamlight, Inc. Under his leadership, the research and development that had begun in New Jersey continued to grow, resulting in innovative product lines to benefit other market segments, including firefighters and EMS personnel. For example, in 1980, the Streamlight LiteBox^®, an innovative, completely portable lantern, was introduced for the professional fire and rescue market. This was followed in 1989 by the company’s first Survivor^® right-angle flashlight, designed to attach to turnout gear and equipment. Today, fire professionals the world over depend on Survivor products for their toughness, compact size and reliability.

Continuing Innovations for the Fire Market

Throughout its history, the company has continued to introduce a wide variety of lighting products specially designed for firefighting and rescue applications, including feature-rich handheld and right-angle lights; lanterns with beams that cut through smoke and other conditions; versatile helmet lights; innovative portable scene lighting solutions and more. A pioneer in the development of rechargeable flashlights and LED lighting, the company is known for its expert engineering approach to creating lighting products that feature extraordinary brightness while also offering high value and durability. Whether for fighting fires, investigating fire scenes, signaling others in emergencies, or conducting rescues, Streamlight’s technology for the fire market is unmatched.

One of the latest trends in flashlight technology is USB rechargeable lighting products, enabling emergency responders to quickly and easily charge flashlights on-the- go from most any USB power source, including a vehicle on-board USB port, laptop or other USB source. 

And if a power source is not immediately available, Streamlight’s “multi-fuel” rechargeable flashlights with an integrated charging port also can accept standard CR123A batteries or in some cases alkaline batteries, for an instant alternative source of power.

Other recent innovations for fire and EMS professionals include:

The new Survivor^® X, a low-profile, right-angle light, the latest in the Survivor line, which is available as a rechargeable system or in an economical alkaline model, both for use in Division 1 hazardous environments. 

Also available is the Survivor X^® USB, a budget-friendly USB rechargeable option for use in Division 2 conditions, powered by an included Streamlight SL-B26^® Lithium-Ion battery pack with micro-USB port. It also accepts three AA alkaline batteries, for times when a charging source is not readily available.Lightweight, compact and low profile, the Vantage^® series of helmet-mounted lights are specially designed for firefighters who require extreme brightness when operating hands-free.  The rechargeable Vantage^® 180 X USB is among the most versatile: it’s a helmet-mounted, right angle, and  hand-held flashlight all in one.  

Like other lights in the series, it easily attaches and detaches to firefighter’s helmets and combines a safety taillight so firefighters can navigate or be followed in even the thickest smoke.  A separate model, the Vantage 180 model, uses two CR 123A lithium batteries.

The Vulcan^® 180 HAZ-LO^®, a Class 1, Division 1 safety-rated lantern for use in hazardous environments. Lightweight and compact, it features a rotating head that tilts 180° and uses three white power LEDs for extreme brightness. Three deep-dish parabolic reflectors produce a tight spot beam to aid in navigation, while two ultra-bright blue LEDs illuminate the lantern’s taillights for visibility in thick smoke. It delivers 400 lumens, 25,000 candelas, and a 10-hour run time on high, and offers a 24-hour run time on low. Powered by a rechargeable 7.8Ahr lithium-ion battery, it fully recharges in 15 hours. 

The groundbreaking rechargeable Portable Scene Light II, a 10,000-lumen rechargeable, waterproof scene light featuring a versatile steel frame and 360° rotating head for precise aiming. With zero deployment time, the Portable Scene Light II requires no set up and is easily used in rapid response situations. The hooked feet of the light are designed to hang on doors, framing and guard rails. The innovative frame can be stacked for up to three units, creating a bright light tower effect with even more lumens. The 360° rotating head of the light allows easy aiming for maximum light in every position.

The Stinger^® Color-Rite, one of the newest additions to Streamlight’s arsenal of helpful emergency lighting tools, is compact, yet rugged while also offering Color-Rite Technology to provide enhanced visualization in low-light conditions. The light uses a High-Color Rendering Index (90 CRI) LED, allowing firefighters and first responders to see the color spectrum as they would in natural light.  It provides a softer, warmer beam to assist with identifying subtle details and true colors in a variety of applications when investigating details at fire and accident scenes.

The BearTrap^® Multi-Function Work Light which offers bright white light in spot and flood modes and multiple-hands-free options for illuminating hard-to reach places, perfect for illuminating emergency scenes.  The unique design of the BearTrap allows it to clamp to virtually any flat, round or irregular service to illuminate hard-to-reach places, such as an ambulance or a transport gurney.  The versatile spot and flood beams give technicians the ability to focus on a specific work area or illuminate larger areas with up to 2,000 lumens of bright, white light. 

Streamlight also offers one of the most comprehensive lines of safety-rated products for use in the challenging Division 1 and ATEX and IECE-x environments in which first responders the world over often operate. 

A Promise for the Future

“While Streamlight serves a variety of vertical markets today, there has always been a special pride in and dedication to designing products for firefighters and first responders, who put their lives on the line every day to keep others safe,” said Streamlight President and CEO Ray Sharrah.  “As we celebrate 50 years of operation, we pledge to continue to leverage the latest advances in LED and battery technologies to produce ever brighter, more useful lighting tools for the firefighting community, while still maintaining our same high-quality standards.”

Sharrah added that Streamlight is also a major sponsor of the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF), helping to fund the organization’s National Memorial Weekend tribute to fallen heroes, scholarships for children of fallen firefighters, and counseling programs.  The company donates a portion of its yearly sales of the specially marked NFFF Red Nano Light, NFFF Red Vantage Light and the NFFF Red Siege Lantern to the foundation.

For more information about Streamlight and its extensive line of products for emergency responders, visit www.streamlight.com.