WARNINGWARNING LIGHTS,LIGHTS, PARKINGPARKING andand SCENESCENE SAFETYSAFETY PresentedPresented by:by: ROBERTROBERT FAUGHFAUGH USDOTUSDOT EVOCEVOC InstInst.. NYSPNYSP EVOCEVOC (ret.)(ret.) NYSDOHNYSDOH EVOC,EVOC, NYSBMPNYSBMP EVOCEVOC && InstructorInstructor forfor 33 InsuranceInsurance CoCo’’ss.. WorkingWorking NearNear thethe RoadwayRoadway • Last year 20 police officers, 7 firefighters and 3 EMS workers were struck and killed by vehicles while working near the roadway! Over 300 of these groups were injured! • Numerous “close calls” reported every day! • When was your last “close call”? • We can reduce these incidents, injuries and deaths with very little effort! LightLight ManufacturesManufactures Studies!Studies! Mainly involved removing you from you money! IfIf theythey makemake itit -- someonesomeone willwill buybuy it!it! THISTHIS ISIS WHATWHAT MOSTMOST EMERGENCYEMERGENCY SCENESSCENES LOOKLOOK LIKELIKE!! SETTINGSETTING UPUP THETHE ““CARNIVALCARNIVAL”” PARTPART 4444 NYCRRNYCRR (Light(Light Laws)Laws) 44.244.2 RedRed lightslights andand certaincertain whitewhite lights.lights. (Cannot(Cannot glareglare oror dazzledazzle -- 100100 CPCP @@ 3535 Watts)Watts) 44.344.3 AmberAmber lights.lights. (( LegalLegal onon ALLALL Vehicles)Vehicles) 44.444.4 BlueBlue andand greengreen lightslights -- (Candle(Candle power,power, sizesize andand prohibitedprohibited lightslights suchsuch asas strobesstrobes andand lightlight barsbars areare addressed)addressed) TheThe NYSNYS V&TV&T lawlaw waswas changedchanged andand thethe 3232 CPCP removedremoved fromfrom 375375--2.2. THETHE NYCRRNYCRR HASHAS NOTNOT CHANGED!CHANGED! 2.8 MILLION CP NYCRR - PART 44.4 - Allows ONLY 32 CP / NO STROBES! WHATWHAT ISIS ILLEGALILLEGAL ININ THISTHIS PICTURE?PICTURE? PartPart 44.444.4 NYCRRNYCRR 2222 statesstates useuse BLUEBLUE forfor POLICE!POLICE! IsIs therethere anythinganything illegalillegal here?here? 80,00080,000 CPCP atat 5050 WattsWatts -- Illegal?Illegal? The clear (white) sections of ANY light bar can only be 100 CP @ 35 Watts! PartPart 4444 NYCRRNYCRR -- LIGHTLIGHT LAWSLAWS TheThe MVMV CommissionersCommissioners RulesRules && RegulationsRegulations restrictsrestricts thethe useuse ofof whitewhite oror clearclear lightslights onon ALLALL emergencyemergency vehiclesvehicles includingincluding policepolice cars.cars. ““TheyThey CANNOTCANNOT GlareGlare oror DazzleDazzle oror interfereinterfere withwith thethe visibilityvisibility ofof thethe redred lightlight oror redred lightslights onon aa vehicle.vehicle.”” ShutShut offoff thethe flashingflashing headlightsheadlights atat night!night! TheyThey maymay blindblind onon comingcoming driversdrivers andand ifif anan accidentaccident takestakes placeplace youyou couldcould bebe liable!liable! RecentRecent StudiesStudies onon WarningWarning LightsLights •• TheThe outdatedoutdated ideaidea thatthat moremore lightslights makemake thethe scenescene safersafer havehave beenbeen provenproven wrong!wrong! •• NFANFA -- 55 statestate projectproject onon roadroad sideside incidentsincidents identifiedidentified severalseveral areasareas ofof concern.concern. (NFA(NFA ““WhiteWhite PaperPaper””)) •• TheThe colorcolor ofof warningwarning lightslights cancan effecteffect otherother driversdrivers behavior.behavior. HowHow cancan thisthis bebe safesafe forfor anyone?anyone? DODO YOUYOU LOOKLOOK WHEREWHERE YOUYOU DRIVEDRIVE oror DODO YOUYOU DRIVEDRIVE WHEREWHERE YOUYOU LOOK?LOOK? YOU DRIVE WHERE YOU LOOK! Drugged,Drugged, Drunk,Drunk, Elderly,Elderly, TiredTired andand ConfusedConfused OperatorsOperators willwill drivedrive TOWARDSTOWARDS flashingflashing REDRED lights.lights. TheseThese samesame driversdrivers willwill drivedrive AWAYAWAY fromfrom FlashingFlashing AMBERAMBER Lights!Lights! WarningWarning LightsLights EffectEffect onon OthersOthers THOUGHTTHOUGHT HEHE WASWAS PROTECTINGPROTECTING AA SCENESCENE -- CARCAR WASWAS HITHIT ANDAND DRIVENDRIVEN 6060 FEETFEET DOWNDOWN THETHE ROADROAD STRIKINGSTRIKING ANOTHERANOTHER CAR.CAR. AREARE THETHE LIGHTSLIGHTS PROTECTINGPROTECTING YOUYOU OROR MAKINGMAKING YOUYOU AA TARGET?TARGET? I-84 ORANGE COUNTY NEW YORK NC Ambulance Struck - Critical Injuries WASWAS HEHE LOOKINGLOOKING ATAT THETHE ““CARNIVALCARNIVAL”” ININ THETHE OTHEROTHER LANE?LANE? OHIO ENGINE HIT BY TRACTOR- TRAILER ON I-675 3/18/03 TWOTWO ONON BACKBACK STEPSTEP WEREWERE INJUREDINJURED Lime-yellow fire truck with RED warning lights on, hit by tired truck driver! Use the largest and heaviest vehicle to “block” to protect everything down stream! Police cars as “blocking” units? MIDWEST CITY, OKLAHOMA MVA 1 KILLED - 2 INJURED SHOULDSHOULD HAVEHAVE PARKEDPARKED CLOSERCLOSER TOTO WALLWALL && ANGLEDANGLED VEHICLEVEHICLE OUTOUT Crash scene showing second automobile wedged into space between barrier and driver’s side of first vehicle. LionvilleLionville PAPA PAPA TurnpikeTurnpike OneOne responderresponder killedkilled -- 99 injured!injured! ALLALL THISTHIS FORFOR AA CARCAR ININ THETHE DITCH!DITCH! JUNE 2004 NumerousNumerous VehiclesVehicles areare struckstruck whilewhile parkedparked nextnext toto thethe highwayhighway everyevery yearyear byby thesethese drunk,drunk, drugged,drugged, elderly,elderly, fatiguedfatigued andand confusedconfused drivers.drivers. REPLACEMENTREPLACEMENT DWIDWI VANVAN THATTHAT WASWAS STRUCKSTRUCK BYBY AA DRUNKDRUNK DRIVERDRIVER -- NOTENOTE 66 AMBERAMBER LIGHTSLIGHTS AmberAmber LightsLights andand RedRed LightsLights • 15 to 20 NYSP vehicles struck every year while parked next to (NOT IN) the roadway while displaying RED lights only. • State wide other agencies (Fire /Police / EMS) reported between 75 & 90 vehicles struck annually displaying RED lights. • After going to ONE AMBER insert on the left side rear of the light bar the NYSP had NO cars get hit for over two years! ADDINGADDING THISTHIS AMBERAMBER INSERTINSERT RESULTEDRESULTED ININ AA DRASTICDRASTIC REDUCTIONREDUCTION ININ ROADSIDEROADSIDE MVAsMVAs “CALIFORNIA” OPTION IN CALIFORNIA IT IS NOT AN “OPTION”! One of the lights in the trunk are now amber StudyStudy onon AmberAmber LightsLights • Increased number of lights decreases the ability of drivers to quickly respond to the emergency message. (National Bureau of Standards 1978) • The flashing light is more quickly detected when there are NOT other colored flashing lights present. ( Engineering Data Compendium 1988) Based on these two and other studies - there is a limit of the number of lights used on an emergency vehicle and exceeding that number and mixing numerous colors will make the vehicle less safe! (Firehouse Magazine - February 2002) AMBERAMBER ISIS THREETHREE TIMESTIMES BRIGHTERBRIGHTER THANTHAN RED.RED. ITIT CANCAN BEBE SEENSEEN THREETHREE TIMESTIMES FURTHERFURTHER THANTHAN REDRED ANDAND TWICETWICE ASAS FARFAR ASAS CLEARCLEAR OROR BLUE!BLUE! AMBERAMBER SENDSSENDS AA SPECIFICSPECIFIC MESSAGEMESSAGE!! AMBER LIGHT 1000’ AWAY NYSNYS DMVDMV says:says: ItIt isis legallegal forfor ANYONEANYONE toto displaydisplay anan amberamber light!light! Of these two set ups which one gave the public a better message? ISP Study CANCAN YOUYOU SEESEE THETHE AMBERAMBER BETTERBETTER THANTHAN REDRED?? AmberAmber isis thethe bestbest colorcolor forfor traffictraffic control!control! WEWE HAVEHAVE MANYMANY OPTIONSOPTIONS TOTO MAKEMAKE ITIT SAFER!SAFER! MINIMALMINIMAL WARNINGWARNING TOTO THETHE REARREAR ONLYONLY (Light(Light barsbars shutshut downdown toto thethe front)front) MANYMANY STATESTATE AREARE GOINGGOING TOTO THETHE ““SLICKSLICK TOPTOP”” OPTIONOPTION -- ReportReport ReductionReduction inin Accidents!Accidents! Warning lights can CAUSE accidents! WhatWhat dodo YOUYOU thinkthink causedcaused thethe drunkdrunk driverdriver toto drivedrive acrossacross twotwo laneslanes andand hithit thethe litlit upup sheriffssheriffs carcar headhead--on?on? 7575 YearYear oldold driverdriver drivesdrives offoff II--390390 andand intointo rearrear ofof thethe litlit upup sheriffssheriffs car,car, WHY?WHY? DOESDOES THETHE TRAFFICTRAFFIC KNOWKNOW WHEREWHERE TOTO GO?GO? PLACEPLACE CONESCONES 4040 toto 5050 FEETFEET APARTAPART SPSP CarCar w/w/ onlyonly rearrear warningwarning onon WHATWHAT DOESDOES YOURYOUR SCENESCENE LOOKLOOK LIKELIKE TOTO APPROACHINGAPPROACHING TRAFFICTRAFFIC ?? THETHE MOREMORE ITIT LOOKSLOOKS LIKELIKE AA ““WORKWORK ZONEZONE”” THETHE BETTERBETTER && SAFER!SAFER! These flares are 80 feet apart! On major highways this is how you should set up your “work zone” NYSNYS DOTDOT ““EmergencyEmergency”” MaintenanceMaintenance setset--upup onon controlledcontrolled accessaccess highwayshighways TruckTruck FireFire II--9090 MPMMPM 314314 EBEB -- SceneScene setset upup likelike ““WORKWORK ZONEZONE”” AmberAmber lightslights && ““ArrowArrow SticksSticks”” on,on, forwardforward facingfacing warningwarning lightslights shutshut offoff Ron Moore series on Parking & Scene safety in Firehouse magazine February 2004 MAKEMAKE ITIT LOOKLOOK LIKELIKE AA WORKWORK ZONE!ZONE! CONESCONES AREARE 4040 FT.FT. APARTAPART TRAFFICTRAFFIC MOVINGMOVING WITHOUTWITHOUT ANYANY PROBLEMSPROBLEMS BECAUSEBECAUSE ITIT LOOKSLOOKS LIKELIKE AA WORKWORK ZONEZONE ForwardForward facingfacing lightslights areare OFF!OFF! BOTHBOTH VEHICLESVEHICLES SENDINGSENDING SAMESAME MESSAGEMESSAGE ParkPark vehiclesvehicles onon ONEONE sideside ofof highwayhighway HeadHead--onon crashcrash Rt.Rt. 1515 T/OT/O RushRush 7/30/027/30/02 Park on ONE side of the roadway! WarningWarning lightslights offoff 44--waysways on!on! Do you have to park in the road? If NOT then Don’t! On limited access roadways ALWAYS attempt to keep the traffic moving! You may have to compromise