Lights and Sirens

[floridacyclist]

THink about it.  How much time is actually saved running hot?  Let's see I get a call while at work.  I run hot.. Let's see 10 miles?  At 60 MPH I get there in 10 minutes.  At 80MPH I get there in what 12 minutes?  The risk is too high for 2 minutes.

The figures need a little work. 60 mph = 1 mile/min; 10 mi takes 10 min. 80 mph = 1 mi/.75 min; 10 mi takes 7.5 min.

The idea, however is exactly right.

Even when I drove a taxicab in college, we figured it out that at the most you might save 30 seconds on a cross-town trip by driving aggressively and pushing the evnelope.....but at the cost of scaring the hell out of the passengers and risking hitting another car. Our consensus was "Why bother?".

[Pumbaa]

hahaha Ooopppsss...  Corrected.

[sandman]

Old thread I know, but here is something funny for Christmas!

...saw this and thought I'd share another interesting picture

CAP car with "siren and lights"

Thought you might want a laugh...

Warning, these people might still be out there...

/r

[JROB]

yeah I thought that was really funny (The Siren kinda sounded like a car alarm)

[Stonewall]

yeah I thought that was really funny (The Siren kinda sounded like a car alarm)

Or an ELT...

[ol'fido]

Let's forget the lights and sirens stuff. One thing I've learned in 30 some odd years of doing this stuff is DON'T RUSH. Haste does make waste. Don't dawdle but move deliberately. But I wouldn't mind seeing CAP vans equipped with the strobes they are putting on top of school buses for visibilty.

[Stonewall]

Anyone look at the other videos from this guy?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53ibiBAw4kM

[Pumbaa]

Stupid is... as stupid does....

[N Harmon]

Anyone look at the other videos from this guy?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53ibiBAw4kM

That was a Michigan Wing patch I just saw. 

[JoeTomasone]

Stupid is... as stupid does....

You just did Gump a disservice. 

[Rob Sherlin]

OMG!!!...HAHAHAHA!....That's terrible!......You're right! Gump was smarter!

   As for lights and sirens, I think the amber lights do just fine (for visibility purposes only). There's no need for sirens whatsoever (loudspeakers (not sirens) in certain situations might be usefull though).
   I think if you're focusing on response time from CAP, then one should focus on proceedures and work on cutting down the time in which CAP is alerted. It's not fair to "Harp" on CAP getting to a scene 6 hours after an incident, when it took everyone 4 or 5 hours to even make CAP aware of it.

[NJMEDIC]

Here in New Jersey GTL is Allow Blue Lights like the Volunteer Fire/EMS as for the vans if we were doing true SAR work or Homeland Security. Maybe if we train and have tight SOP's but Amber is needed for DF for stopping along the road. I drive an Expidition at work with a full police package.

I once had a SAR mission for a over (Downed) experimental Helo. The NJ State Police were escorting us, no lights  no siren, Their speeds were greater than 75 mph  and I was not comfortable driving our vans that way. I have this same vehicle as a ambulance with extended roof as a back up medic unit,

[Eclipse]

Here in New Jersey GTL is Allow Blue Lights like the Volunteer Fire/EMS as for the vans if we were doing true SAR work or Homeland Security. Maybe if we train and have tight SOP's but Amber is needed for DF for stopping along the road. I drive an Expedition at work with a full police package.

Actually, assuming you have the required permit (specific in NJ to CAP):
The blue emergency warning lights may be used only when the vehicle is being operated to provide emergency services during local and national emergencies declared by the Governor of the State of New Jersey. Any other use of the light is prohibited.
This is quoted from the NJ permit application which is also very specific as to placement and quantity (2) of the lights, as well as prohibition of headlight strobes. http://www.state.nj.us/mvc/pdf/About/BLC-54A.pdf

So unless NJWG has an MOU with the state that blanket declares them as such, not legal for SAR work, ELT chases, or most other standard CAP activities.

[RADIOMAN015]

Any kind of rotating/flashing lights (and color) may be regulated in the state you are in so it is best to check with the Dept of Motor Vehicles & Law Enforcement. 

I personally think it's a good idea when one is stopped and/or going very slow such as on a DF mission to have additional warning lights (probably flashing yellow and white) as a safety measure. (Some wings have a policy that NO holes can be drilled in corporate vans, so it's either a magnetic mount or some other bar that won't damage the vehicle roof).   CAP is not a first responder, so there really is no need for sirens and/or lights blaring/glaring while responding to mission base, advanced mission base, or squadron headquarters for a mission. 

It's the law enforcement & fire/rescue wanna bees that has gotten CAP in trouble in the past.  That's why there's some regulatory guidance on this.
RM 

[JROB]

If stopped on the side of the road to take a reading I have Clear lights in the rear

[PHall]

If stopped on the side of the road to take a reading I have Clear lights in the rear

You might want to check your state's vehicle code to see if that's legal.

In California the only white lights you can have in the rear are back-up lights.

The concern is that you blind drivers approaching you from the rear with the glare.

[isuhawkeye]

in Iowa white flashing lights are reserved for EMS

[Pylon]

in Iowa white flashing lights are reserved for EMS

What do the police use?   

[SJFedor]

If stopped on the side of the road to take a reading I have Clear lights in the rear

Just a random question, but why is a cadet using a POV to take a reading of anything?

[Eclipse]

If stopped on the side of the road to take a reading I have Clear lights in the rear

Just a random question, but why is a cadet using a POV to take a reading of anything?

While its probably not a good idea from an ORM  standpoint, I can't think of any reason from a reg-standpoint he shouldn't be.

There's no requirement that the GTL be the driver, in fact that's usually a bad idea.

Most of us in my Wing use POV's for mission work, and nothing says a qualified cadet can't drive his own vehicle on a mission, (assuming the huge exhaust pipe, trunk tail, and kicker box don't get in the way.    )