discoman:
the Highways Agency used to have a button to dim the lights at night and so did traffic pol well did in Kent anyhow.
All our cars have a low power setting and is used daily. 
The new LED Blues and Reds fitted to emergency vehicles are, as has been said, very bright and powerful, it was the first thing we noticed when we got our 59 Reg Volvo appliances, you canāt look directly at them and ours have no dim or low power facility. Having said that its surprising (or not so as the case may be) that some drivers donāt have a clue a vehicle on an emergency is behind them and despite our crews disliking the use of the Bullhorn it sometimes has to be used to get these clowns to realise your there.
Unfortunately just like the over indulgence with mirrors fitted to todays heavies, emergency vehicles seem to come equipped with lights in every position available, as well as a three tone wail system, two tone air horns and the Bullhorn, oh and a road horn. All of which our Health and Safety bods have took decibel readings of and asked us to turn down the sound on some!.
Most appliances will operate the lights similar to ours thesedays on newer vehicles, a 999 button that puts on the Blues and removes the speed limiter, the wailers are operated by the horn on the wheel and the horn/indicator stalk, the two tones by a footswitch and the Bullhorn on a button on the dash. Once at the incident an āOn Sceneā button is pressed that cuts out the 999 mode, stops the flashing headlights and allows other auxilliary lights such as side scene and mast lights to be used. The rear flashing red lights come on once the parkbrake is applied, a lot of light power on one vehicle and as you say very bright! Franky.
Frankydobo:
The new LED Blues and Reds fitted to emergency vehicles are, as has been said, very bright and powerful, it was the first thing we noticed when we got our 59 Reg Volvo appliances, you canāt look directly at them and ours have no dim or low power facility. Having said that its surprising (or not so as the case may be) that some drivers donāt have a clue a vehicle on an emergency is behind them and despite our crews disliking the use of the Bullhorn it sometimes has to be used to get these clowns to realise your there.Unfortunately just like the over indulgence with mirrors fitted to todays heavies, emergency vehicles seem to come equipped with lights in every position available, as well as a three tone wail system, two tone air horns and the Bullhorn, oh and a road horn. All of which our Health and Safety bods have took decibel readings of and asked us to turn down the sound on some!.
Most appliances will operate the lights similar to ours thesedays on newer vehicles, a 999 button that puts on the Blues and removes the speed limiter, the wailers are operated by the horn on the wheel and the horn/indicator stalk, the two tones by a footswitch and the Bullhorn on a button on the dash. Once at the incident an āOn Sceneā button is pressed that cuts out the 999 mode, stops the flashing headlights and allows other auxilliary lights such as side scene and mast lights to be used. The rear flashing red lights come on once the parkbrake is applied, a lot of light power on one vehicle and as you say very bright! Franky.
Thatās a lot of relays. I donāt understand why they donāt just stick optilinkās in the pumps and itās all pre programmed and none of this interlocking rubbish.
I saw a divisional car earlier, must have been a 50 watt siren, couldnāt hear it for love nor money and they wonder why you canāt make progress.
It took a while to introduce bull horns over here, they really would benefit from the american style. Over there you need a headset on in the cab just to communicate. I went on a ride a long with the LAFD in 2007 and it was just amazing!
franklin:
Junction 1 off the M6 is bad for thisā¦ Come off from eastbound for the A426 towards Lutterworth and you are blinded by the traffic lights when dark. So much so that you cant see ANYTHING into the junction at the roundabout.
Yes, those ones.
Thereās some as well in Stroud on the way to the M5 by Damien Hirstās studios just before Sainsburyās that seem to be right at eye level, I reckon they dazzle worse than oncoming main beams.
I have noticed the same with some emergency services blues, like the traffic lights itās definitely the LED ones.
When I did my ambulance training in 1989 I did a two week driving course with training to the police Roadcraft manual. Then another day for the response car driving.
Now I believe they do 1 week non emergency training as PTS then 2 weeks for the emergency driving but the course has been dumbed down and is now nowhere near the old standard.
The good old red mist and some vehicle design issuesā¦ never saw an old twin wheel base Bedford CF fall over on a corner no matter how hard you pushed it yet know of at least 2 incidents with Sprinters.
W.
The Highway Man:
discoman:
the Highways Agency used to have a button to dim the lights at night and so did traffic pol well did in Kent anyhow.All our cars have a low power setting and is used daily.
I know they do and if you hold the button down long enough then you can press it so it stsay on perm
When Iām on lates or nights, I just leave the low power button on all the time.
The Highway Man:
When Iām on lates or nights, I just leave the low power button on all the time.
My mate, who still works with the HA has them on low and all the time, but obviously flips them on bright for daylight and dusk dawn etc.
The Highway Man:
discoman:
the Highways Agency used to have a button to dim the lights at night and so did traffic pol well did in Kent anyhow.All our cars have a low power setting and is used daily.
Nightly I would hope
An Ambulance estate car came past on the A5 last night, and I must admit, it was blinding.
But, everyone moved out of itās way, but it still blinded me after itād passed
schrodingers cat:
The Highway Man:
discoman:
the Highways Agency used to have a button to dim the lights at night and so did traffic pol well did in Kent anyhow.All our cars have a low power setting and is used daily.
Nightly I would hope
Twice nightly if I get lucky. 
