An emergency light bar is a necessary component of many different vehicles. Many construction vehicles require emergency LED light bars to notify passers by of their presence. But emergency vehicle light bars are typically reserved for vehicles like police cars as well as ambulances and fire trucks. All require emergency light bars to announce their presence and alert other vehicles to the situation. Typically there are three different ways that a light bar for emergency will function. Most either use rotating lights, strobe lights, or even LED lights, usually depending upon which type of vehicle the light bar is mounted.
Rotating light bars function by using a light bulb surrounded by a mirror that circles the bulb, and creates a flashing light effect. Usually an emergency light bar will employ a standard incandescent bulb, although newer models use the safer and more reliable LED emergency light bulbs. Typically these types of mechanisms are reserved for emergency vehicles like police cars, fire trucks, and ambulances.
Another form of emergency bar light is through the use of strobe lights. A strobe light bar is comprised of the same type of special bulb that most flash photography cameras use. The technology works by using a xenon flash lamp. These function by ionizing and discharging electric currents through gas, which create a large blinding light that flashes very quickly. These are more typically used by large construction vehicles, as the flashing emergency lights catch your attention and are hard to ignore. That way a large vehicle is announced well before you actually approach them, so you can handle the situation perfectly safely.
LED technology is becoming the most widely used for emergency light bars, because they tend to serve the purpose of emergency lighting best. LED, or light-emitting diodes, have the advantage of being small, extremely bright, and very long lasting. LED emergency light bars tend to last much longer than the other two light bar types, making them favorites for emergency vehicles, because of their reliability. Emergency LED lights are also favored because of their small size, so they lend themselves to different types of light fixtures, no matter to which vehicle they are attached. They’ll typically come in blue or red, though yellow and green are often used as well.
Which type seems right for the vehicle you’re installing emergency lighting on, really depends upon your preferences. Incandescent rotating emergency lights are fairly cheap, but also don’t hold up as well, and the bulbs need to be changed often. Emergency strobe lights don’t lend themselves to as many uses, and don’t work on emergency vehicles very well. LED light bars tend to last the longest, but can be the most expensive. Although LED lights are also the most environmentally friendly emergency light bar option.
Typically, the internet is the best place to purchase a brand new light bar for emergency use at a fairly reasonable price. As these can be expensive pieces of hardware, finding a deal is essential, and online you’ll find deals that aren’t available locally. Sites like NorthernTool.com and Amazon.com have a good selection. The average emergency light bar will cost around $200 to $400. But a really high quality emergency bar light can run as much as $600.