Aspire Scene Lights Are a Must-Have for Emergency Responders

For a number of reasons, scene lights are an essential tool in the fire department’s arsenal. Whether you’re a firefighter, emergency medical technician, or simply looking for an efficient way to light up your vehicle or worksite, there’s a scene light available to fit your needs.

First, consider the area you’ll be lighting up. Both halogen and LED scene lights come in flood or spot patterns.

Power

Scene lights are an essential piece of equipment for fire crews to have when responding to incidents. They can be placed on fire trucks, in vehicles and other areas to illuminate a scene.

One of the most important things to consider when selecting a light is how much power it requires. In general, LEDs provide more light for the same amount of power than halogen lights.

This is due to the fact that LEDs are made from light-emitting diodes (LEDs). When compared with a typical 500 watt halogen light, two LED scene lights will provide 40,000 lumens of light – more than 4 times what a single halogen can produce.

In addition, LEDs are known for reducing eye strain and stress. They are also better for the environment as they use less power than halogens.

Another great thing about LED scene lights is that they are compact and easy to transport, which makes them an ideal choice for a variety of situations. This includes road projects, security checkpoints, temporary shelters and accident and crime scenes as well as emergency and disaster response.

Many scene lights offer beam adjustability that allows responders to switch between a spot mode for long range search and area setting for immediate task lighting. This increases the effectiveness of the lighting and can help save time as the responder is able to focus on different areas of a scene quickly.

Be sure to ask your fire apparatus manufacturer about the types of scene lights they offer and how they can be incorporated into your next apparatus design. They will be able to provide you with a full list of options and help make your decision.

While the NFPA 1901 standard does not require scene lights on fire apparatus, they are an extremely popular option today. They are available from a number of different manufacturers and are an excellent scene lights way to ensure your apparatus is properly equipped for the job.

If you are unsure about whether a particular product is right for your department, there are a number of FAMA member companies that can demo scene lights on a vehicle or offer more information to assist you in the selection process. To get started, contact a product expert and schedule an appointment for a demonstration.

Dimensions

Aside from the obvious power chords, scene lights come in a variety of sizes and styles. Surface mount and recessed versions are the most common, but not necessarily the most expensive. Recessed units are especially useful in smaller vehicles like a compact sedan. Aspire also offers a few multi-purpose LED scene lights with an integrated battery pack and a high-intensity light bar that can be used for a quick nighttime fix or as the main light source for more involved lighting. The Aspire series is also the only manufacturer to offer a true wireless remote control that allows you to set up and lock down a multi-function LED strobe in a flash. Best of all, you can get it all at a surprisingly low price.

Controls

Scene lighting is a smart way to control lights by setting a scene with a one-button command, or by activating lights based on preset schedules or responses received from sensors. This can help create a specific atmosphere in meeting rooms, workspaces, pantry, reception, and parking area based on your needs and comfort.

This technology is a great option for any business looking to increase employee productivity and efficiency. It can be programmed to light up a space based on occupancy detection, daylight availability or scheduled activities, such as meetings, trainings and conferences.

You can also set a timer to fade the lights to 0% after a specified amount of time. For example, if you have a scene with all the lights on white, you can set the ‘Fade’ to run over 5 minutes and when it reaches the end of the time, the lights will dim until they reach the 0% level once more.

In addition to being an excellent tool for enhancing the realism of scenes, scene lights can be useful for rendering high-quality stills. However, applying a scene with area lights will lengthen the rendering time significantly, and may not be suitable for animation projects where a deadline is important.

For fire and rescue departments, scene lights illuminate large areas of an accident or incident so that all first responders can be seen, not just a few people. For police and other law enforcement departments, scene lights are useful for patrolling and traffic checkpoints, crime or emergency scenes, and sobriety stops.

FAMA member companies offer a variety of apparatus-mounted scene lights. Some are directional (directly hitting all objects from the same angle) while others are more diffuse. The latter are better for illuminating a wide area with minimal “highs” and “lows” that can be difficult to aim a single fixture at.

Many scene lights also feature a ‘Focus’ function that can direct the light to an object or group of objects. This is especially helpful for directing a light to a particular subject and eliminating shadows caused by the ‘Focus’ function on other objects in the scene.

Safety

Safety is a top priority for any type of incident, whether you are working a structure fire or operating at a roadway accident. With that in mind, scene lights play an essential role in ensuring the safety of firefighters and motorists alike.

The most common type of scene that requires portable lighting is a structure fire, whether it is a small house or a large warehouse. A dependable bright light is critical for overhaul and cleanup and for allowing firefighters to get inside the building to work.

While the most important aspect of scene lighting is the light itself, it’s also vitally important to understand the way that the light package is mounted and how scene lights it can affect crew visibility on the fire ground. A package that disperses the lights evenly around the apparatus can help improve overall work visibility.

On-apparatus work lights (floodlights and spotlights) and undercarriage puddle lights also have an important role to play in helping firefighters avoid fall and tripping hazards during nighttime and low light conditions at the incident scene. Newer units can be programmed to dim some of the emergency lights and slow the flash pattern after dark to provide advance warning but with less intense glare.

Another key feature of scene lights is that they can be set to either a spot or flood mode, which provides adjustability to the responder as they transition from long range search to immediate task lighting. This allows a responder to change their focus quickly and effectively, keeping them comfortable and productive throughout the incident.

As an added safety precaution, you should never use an impact drill or electric screw gun to install your scene light fixture. These tools can cause serious injury or even death if they are not used with care and caution.

If you are considering a new scene light system for your apparatus, be sure to schedule an after-dark demo with one of our FAMA member companies. They can help you make an informed decision and can even equip a vehicle with their technology to show you firsthand how it works.