The Strobe Light Has Been Illuminating Emergency Vehicles For A Long Time

By Author: Sunil Punjabi
Total Articles: 2554
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The world of motion capture photography was revolutionized by the use of Strobe lights. The Strobe is no modern invention and has been around in some form since the 1830's when Joseph Plateau invented a light he called the Phenakistoscope light. That was one of the first versions of the Strobe. The light became popular in 1932 when Dr. Harold Edgerton used it to resounding success in motion capture photography. As to its use on emergency vehicles, it can be traced back to the 1930's when they were first added to police vehicles. A light that was invented all that time ago yet is still in regular use today has got to be effective at what it does.

The word stroboscope is a mix of the Greek words strobos and skopein, strobos means whirlpool and skopein means look at. Many of us will have an image of a Strobe light on police vehicles slowly rotating as they speed down an alley (courtesy of Starsky & Hutch!) The Strobe light is still widely used today and is seen on many different types of vehicles. The newer versions of the Strobe contain LED lighting, which provides a superior ...
... light output for a small unit. The power of the rotating beacon Strobes has always been good, but with the addition of LED bulbs, it's even better.

As stated earlier the addition of lighting to emergency vehicles first happened in the 1930's and most would have had a single Strobe. The Strobe is a very visible form of lighting and it attracts the attention of other road users who would be aware that a vehicle was approaching or stopped at the roadside. Lightbars are more common on emergency vehicles today but the Strobes still have a part to play in the emergency vehicle lighting world. A light that has been in constant effective use for over 80 years has got to be good at what it does.

Many modern light bar units have a Strobe light built into them and the single beacon Strobes are incredibly popular with doctors and nurses on call. Volunteer firefighters also typically use a beacon Strobe as it can be fitted and removed quickly. Magnetic fixture and suction cup fixture are popular with the beacon lights and that gives them a more temporary nature. Anyone who uses their own personal vehicle for emergency work needs to be able to identify themselves and help them get to calls and the beacon Strobes are ideal for that.

A variety of lighting is needed on most emergency vehicles and other than the doctors and nurses needing temporary lighting permanently fixed light bars are the norm. A lightbar immediately identifies a vehicle as an emergency vehicle and that helps road users avoid them and let them pass. A single Strobe light is very effective when vehicles are stationary and they do convey a certain sense of emergency when we see them. The Strobes are iconic and instantly recognizable as a hazard warning and that is one reason for their continued popularity.

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